The Pottsville Pike Hamburg Bridge carries PA Route 61 over the Schuylkill River, a railroad and a local road in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
The Pottsville Pike Hamburg Bridge carries PA Route 61 over the Schuylkill River, the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad (former Reading Railroad), and State Street in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
In May 1952, the State Highway and Bridge Authority announced plans to construct northern and western bypasses of Hamburg along US Routes 22 and 122. 1 Projected to cost $10 million and take five years to complete, it included:
- The construction of the five-mile, four-lane US Route 122 bypass between Five Locks and Port Clinton, seven bridges, and a cloverleaf interchange with US Route 22.
- The construction of the four-lane US Route 22 bypass, including a large viaduct over the Schuylkill River and the Kernsville Desilting Basin.
In August, C.W. Good of Lancaster was awarded a $3.4 million construction contract for four miles of the US Route 122 bypass, which included the building of a nine-span concrete arch bridge 880 feet long over the Schuylkill River, Reading Railroad, and US Route 22. 2
The new US Route 122 bypass of Hamburg, including the crossing over the Schuylkill, was finished at the cost of $5.5 million and opened to traffic on September 16, 1955. 3
US Route 122 was decommissioned in 1963 and replaced with PA Routes 10, 61, and 147.
In March 2024, construction began on a widening and rehabilitation project to improve PA Route 61 near the Schuylkill River, including the renovation of the river crossing. 4 The project is expected to be completed in November 2027.
Information
- State: Pennsylvania
- Route: PA Route 61
- Type: Open Spandrel Arch
- Status: Active - Automobile
- Total Length: 880'
- Main Span Length: 157'
- Deck Width: 60'
Sources
- “$10,000,000 Road Project Revealed.” Philadelphia Inquirer, 9 May 1952, p. 52.
- “To Start Work Soon on Hamburg Bridges.” Pottsville Republican, 1 Aug. 1952, p. 2.
- “Bypass Open On Route 122 At Hamburg.” Morning Call [Allentown], 19 Sept. 1955, p. 5.
- Genelle, Cierra. “Multiyear construction project begins on Route 61.” WFMZ, 20 Mar. 2024.
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