Walnut Street Bridge (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
Walnut Street Bridge | |
|---|---|
The bridge in 2004, facing City Island. | |
| Coordinates | 40°15′27″N 76°53′10″W / 40.2575°N 76.886°W |
| Carries | Pedestrians |
| Crosses | Susquehanna River |
| Locale | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| Other name(s) | The People's Bridge "Old Shakey" |
| Maintained by | Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Wrought iron truss bridge |
| Total length | 2,801 feet (854 m) |
| Longest span | 240 feet (73 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1890 |
| Designated | N/A |
| Location | |
The Walnut Street Bridge also known as The People's Bridge, was a truss bridge that spanned the Susquehanna River from downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to the West Shore until 1996, when ice floes on the flooded river destroyed three spans of the western part of the bridge, between City Island and the West Shore. Built by the Phoenix Bridge Company in 1890, the remaining bridge is the oldest connecting Harrisburg's downtown and Riverfront Park with City Island. A 2014 Cross-River Connections Study notes that the bridge currently serves as an "important bicycle and pedestrian link between City Island and downtown Harrisburg, connecting the city and the Capital Area Greenbelt to special events on City Island."
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.