The River Terminal Railroad Bridge, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge featuring a Warren through truss main span that crosses the Cuyahoga River.
The River Terminal Railroad Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, is a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge with a Warren through truss main span that crosses the Cuyahoga River.
From 1913 to 1916, Corrigan, McKinney & Company underwent significant expansion of their blast furnace operations on the west side of the Cuyahoga River, transforming it into a comprehensive steelmaking facility with the addition of rolling mills and open-hearth furnaces on the river’s east side. 2
Connecting the two sides was a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge, completed in 1913. 1 2 3 It featured a length of 148 feet long with a channel opening of 130 feet. 3 The River Terminal Railway Company, a subsidiary of Corrigan, McKinney & Company, transported hot metal from the west side blast furnaces to the steelworks on the east side. 1 2 Originally designed for Cooper’s E50 loading, 3 yard locomotives hauled 50-ton Pollock ladle cars across the bridge. 2
In 1950-51, Republic Steel Corporation, the successor of the original company, reconstructed the bridge’s superstructure to support heavier 300-ton ladle cars. 1 2 3 The project involved engineering consultancy from Hazelet & Erdal and was managed by Leonard Larson of Republic Steel and E. J. Lisy of the River Terminal Railway, 2 with high-strength steel supplied from the Bethlehem Steel Company. 3 The renovation included strengthening the bascule span’s stringers, the top and bottom flanges, and the floor beams. Rivets were replaced, and trusses were reinforced by welding on bars and plates. Additionally, the bridge’s electrical equipment and machinery underwent a comprehensive overhaul. At the time of its completion, the bridge exceeded the load-carrying capacity of any railroad bridge in the country. 3
This crossing was subsequently utilized by Republic Steel’s successor, the International Steel Group’s (ISG) Cleveland Works Railway which was formed in 2002. The railroad was created when ISG purchased and combined the assets from the River Terminal and Cuyahoga Valley Railways.
Details
- State: Ohio
- Route: Cleveland Works Railway
- Status: Active (Railroad)
- Type: Scherzer Rolling Lift Bascule
- Total Length: 148'
- Main Span Length: 0
- Spans: 0
- Deck Width: 0
- Roadway Width: 0
- Height of Structure: 0
- Above Vertical Clearance: 0
- Navigational Clearance: 0
Sources
- Holth, Nathan. “River Terminal Railroad Bridge.” Historicbridges.org, 24 Jun. 2007.
- Bluestone, Daniel M., ed. “River Terminal Railway Bridge.” Cleveland: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites, Historic American Engineering Record, 1978, pp. 87-90.
- Watson, Sara Ruth, and John R. Wolfs. “Moveable Bridges.”Bridges of Metropolitan Cleveland. By SaraRuth Watson and John R. Wolfs. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Print.