Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week takes a look at the Historic and Scenic, Rieglesville Bridge, spanning the Delaware River, connecting Pohatcong Township, Warren County, NJ with Rieglesville, Bucks County, PA.  Located at the southwestern end of Warren County, the last leg of one’s journey to the bridge is through Historic and Scenic, Finesville!  Finesville, with its lovely and quaint, old stone homes and churches, tucked in alongside, the Musconetcong River, giving you a wonderful ‘sense’ of bygone days, all amid natural beauty! Believe me, you won’t be asking are we there yet!!  This is some beautiful country!!

Historic Marker by bridge reads:

Rieglesville Historic District – Named in 1876 – Farming, Milling & Trade Route

First known as Shank’s Ferry in the 1700’s.  A ferry was established here, across the Delaware River.  It became known as Riegel’s Ferry and the first bridge was built ca 1837, in 1854 a railroad station was built with the stop named “Musconetcong”

NOTE: Take the time for a leisurely stroll across the bridge, there are nice walkways on both sides of the bridge, showing off the Delaware River as it gently flows through the beautiful Open Spaces!!  Your stroll will also enhance the quaint beauty of the bridge itself.  Keep in mind, on the Pennsylvania side, adjacent to the bridge, the historic Rieglesville Inn, maybe plan for lunch with a view of the bridge.

The above introduction to the bridge and surrounding area, describes a tranquil, beautiful and historic setting, which you will enjoy on your visit, HOWEVER, as with all areas near water, there are also tales of classic struggles with Nature.  These tales are interwoven amid the history of this interesting site in the following paragraphs.

Traffic across the Delaware River at Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, was handled by Wendel and Anthony Shenk’s oar powered ferries until December 15, 1837, when a three-span, wooden covered bridge was opened to horse, wagon, and pedestrian use. The Pennsylvania and New Jersey legislatures had approved the formation of the private Riegelsville Delaware Bridge Corporation in 1835 and the company engaged Solon Chapin and James Madison Porter of Easton, Pennsylvania as the contractors. A major flood struck the Delaware Valley on January 8, 1841, just three years after the bridge opened, and the span nearest the Jersey shore was destroyed. The bridge was repaired and survived another flood in June 1862.

The “Pumpkin Flood” occurred on October 10, 1903, and the Delaware waters rose to 33.8 feet (10.3 m) above normal. The two spans nearest to New Jersey were quickly swept down the river. The third section collapsed soon after.

The wire rope and engineering firm of John A. Roebling‘s Sons Co., based in Trenton, New Jersey, were soon commissioned and replaced the covered bridge with a cablesuspension bridge. This new bridge incorporated the original piers which were repaired and raised several feet, allowing it to survive major damage from the flood of 1936 and to come through a 1955 deluge relatively unscathed. Together, the three spans are 585 feet (178 m) in length and the final cost of construction was $30,000. It opened on April 18, 1904.

Roebling’s original design for the bridge employed main cables 2 ⁵⁄₈ inches (7 cm) in diameter. Professor James Madison Porter III, the grandson of the builder of the earlier Riegelsville bridge, was asked to evaluate the new design and felt the need for additional cables of 1 ³⁄₄ inches (4 cm) diameter, which were added to the plans.

The Riegelsville suspension bridge collected tolls until it was purchased by the Joint Commission for Eliminating Tolls and is currently maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission using revenues generated from larger, more heavily trafficked crossings. The bridge has a 3-ton weight limit.

The above information was copied and pasted from Wikopedia.

This bridge is a very unique and historically significant bridge. Its design is unusual because it contains multiple, relatively short suspension spans. Most suspension bridges that are familiar today are much larger bridges that contains only two suspension towers. This bridge contains four. This bridge has unusual and original floor beams that have post-tension bars built underneath the main built-up beams. Riegelsville Bridge also includes lightweight double-warren stiffening truss. The bridge is also noteworthy and significant for association with the bridge company formed by one of the most famous suspension bridge builders, John Roebling.

The above information was copied and pasted from Historic Bridges.org

When visiting my Flickr site for the Delaware Bridges, keep an eye out for another Roebling project located further north between NY and PA where he actually created a viaduct carrying a canal up, over and across the Delaware River.

Please visit my Flickr site for Delaware River Bridges album – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157642807647233

When visiting my Flickr site for the Suspension Bridges, remember Roebling also designed and built the Famous Brooklyn Bridge.

Please visit my Flickr site for photos of Those Amazing Suspension Bridges – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157626486837311

Enjoy Your Open Space, Charlie Fineran