The Caneadea Bridge carries East Hill Road over the Genesee River in Caneadea, New York. The historic crossing was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 for its significance: it is the oldest and longest of two surviving camelback through trusses in the state.
An earlier bridge carried East Hill Road over the Genesee River before it washed away in a flood in 1902. 2 A new camelback Parker through truss was completed by November 1903 by the Groton Bridge Company of Groton, New York 2 4 for $6,360. It was rehabilitated in 1973.
The county declared the Caneadea Bridge unsafe for automobile traffic in 1993 and it was closed as the county had no financial means to replace it. The “Save the Caneadea Bridge Committee” worked for the following 14 years to raise funds towards the bridge’s rehabilitation. Fundraisers, in addition to $550,000 in state funding, allowed for major renovations to proceed, which included replacing the abutments and adding cables to the bottom chord. The Caneadea Bridge reopened to automobiles in 2007; $9,032.42 in leftover funds assigned for maintenance. 4
The Caneadea Bridge was closed again on June 26, 2012, because of structural deterioration, 5 and in August, an engineering firm was hired to study what would need to be done to reopen the bridge to traffic. 6 In August 2012, an engineering firm was hired to study what would need to be done to reopen the bridge to traffic. 6 The county is currently exploring using Transportation Alternatives Program grant funding to reopen the bridge for pedestrian traffic. 1
Details
- State: New York
- Route: East Hill Road
- Status: Abandoned or Closed
- Type: Camelback through truss, Parker Through Truss
- Total Length: 253 feet
- Main Span Length: 246 feet
- Spans:
- Deck Width: 13.5 feet
- Roadway Width: 0
- Height of Structure: 0
- Above Vertical Clearance: 0
- Navigational Clearance:
Sources
- “Allegany County: Lawmakers want to seek grant for rehab of non-vehicular bridges in Hume & Caneadea.” Regional News Network, 25 Apr. 2014, article.
- Petrick, Michelle. National Register of Historic Places Registration: Caneadea Bridge. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, 19 Nov. 1998.
- “Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 11/16/98 Through 11/20/98”. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service, article.
- Quinn, Brian. “Allegany County gets nest egg for Caneadea bridge maintenance.” Wellsville Daily Reporter, 1 Mar. 2009.
- “Caneadea bridge on county Road 46 closed indefinitely.” Wellsville Daily Reporter, 26 Jun. 2012.
- Quinn, Brian. “Engineer to study bridge needs.” Wellsville Daily Reporter, 28 Aug. 2012.