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The bridge consists of six main spans, each 78 feet (24 m) in length, crossing the river and Kelly Drive; five small arches, each 9 feet (2.7 m) in length, for pedestrian traffic; and a 30-foot (9.1 m) arch over Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive. The bridge's spandrel walls were
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The current bridge replaced an adjacent P&R bridge, built of wood. Prior to that, one of the earliest suspension bridges in the United States, the 1808
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Steele, J. Dutton (1870). "On Skew
Bridges, and on the Construction of Falls Skew Bridge over the Schuylkill, near Philadelphia".
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The bridge's design is unusual. Because it crosses the river at an oblique angle, it was constructed as a
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The P&R built the viaduct, 1853–56, to carry coal cars to the company's coal terminal on the
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298:"View from Laurel Hill Cemetery, Phila." (before 1895). Reading Railroad Bridge, with former
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bridge, with each span composed of a series of offset stone arches. While not as strong as
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List of bridges documented by the
Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
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spans, these spans were much easier to build, while still assuring that the bridge's
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reinforced in 1935. The bridge continues to carry rail traffic to this day.
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219:(collapsed 1816), was built at this location. That was replaced by an 1818
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1872 map of
Schuylkill River showing the Reading Railroad Bridge.
314:"Falls Station Bridge leading to Richmond, near Philadelphia."
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Philadelphia & Reading
Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct.
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Philadelphia & Reading
Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct
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Philadelphia & Reading
Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct
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Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct
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Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct
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Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct
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Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad, Bridge at West Falls
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Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers
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Historic American Engineering Record in Philadelphia
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120:Reading Railroad Bridge, or Falls Rail Bridge
34:Reading Railroad Bridge over Schuylkill River
394:"Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Bridge".
94:, Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Kelly Drive
396:Gleason's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion
188:bridge that carries rail traffic over the
351:List of crossings of the Schuylkill River
439:at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
552:Stone arch bridges in the United States
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427:Historic American Engineering Record
356:Chain Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill
217:Chain Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill
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517:Bridges over the Schuylkill River
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194:Falls of Schuylkill (East Falls)
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318:is visible in the upper right.
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547:Viaducts in the United States
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377:Encyclopedia of Philadelphia
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527:Reading Railroad bridges
429:(HAER) No. PA-39, "
375:Jackson, Joseph (1931).
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27:Bridge in Fairmount Park
512:Bridges in Philadelphia
178:Reading Railroad Bridge
402:(3): 48. May 17, 1851.
72:40.00639°N 75.19278°W
316:Laurel Hill Cemetery
300:Falls Covered Bridge
338:Philadelphia portal
247:skewed barrel vault
149:Gustavus A. Nicolls
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50:Coordinates
506:Categories
484:Downstream
415:: 209–213.
388:References
63:75°11′34″W
60:40°00′23″N
251:abutments
463:Upstream
324:See also
180:and the
162:Location
146:Designer
437:Listing
261:Gallery
230:in the
141:History
88:Crosses
154:Opened
133:Stone
130:Design
99:Locale
362:Notes
186:arch
172:The
157:1856
196:in
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