Cochecton–Damascus Bridge

Cochecton–Damascus Bridge
View from Pennsylvania side, 2013
Coordinates	41°42′18″N 75°04′00″W / 41.70501°N 75.06671°W / 41.70501; -75.06671Coordinates: 41°42′18″N 75°04′00″W / 41.70501°N 75.06671°W / 41.70501; -75.06671
Carries	Pennsylvania Route 371, Sullivan County Route 114
Crosses	Delaware River
Locale	Cochecton, NY Damascus Twp., PA
Other name(s)	Cochecton Dam Road Bridge
Owner	New York State Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Maintained by	New York–Pennsylvania Joint Bridge Commission
National Bridge Inventory	1091660
Characteristics
Design	Warren through truss
Material	Steel, concrete
Total length	684 feet (208 m)
Width	26 feet (7.9 m)
Longest span	224.7 feet (68.5 m)
No. of spans	3
Clearance above	14.8 feet (4.5 m)
History
Constructed by	Triple Cities Construction
Opened	1950
Statistics
Daily traffic	1419

External video

Eastern approach to bridge from northbound Route 97

Western approach

The Cochecton–Damascus Bridge, sometimes called the Cochecton Dam Road Bridge, crosses the Delaware River in the United States between the unincorporated hamlet of Cochecton, in Sullivan County, New York, and Damascus Township, in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. On the Pennsylvania side it is the eastern terminus of State Route 371; in New York its approach road is County Route 114. It was built in 1950; bridges have crossed the river at that point since 1819.

Those early bridges replaced ferry services that had to replace them when they collapsed or were washed away during floods. By the late 19th century a private company had built a toll bridge at the site which proved stable. It was eventually bought by a joint commission established by both states, which abolished the toll. A lawsuit against New York over the construction of the current bridge ended in a holding that the state itself could be sued over actions of the commission since that body was not sufficiently distinct from the state, and sovereign immunity did not apply.

The bridge crosses the river from New York on its northeast portal to Pennsylvania on its southwest, just downstream from a bend. It is a polygonal Warren through truss steel bridge with alternating vertical members. Three spans, supported by concrete piers and abutments, comprise the bridge. The longest of those spans is 224 feet (68 m); the bridge's total length is 684 feet (208 m). Its deck carries a two-lane asphalt roadway 26 feet (7.9 m) wide; there is 14.8 feet (4.5 m) of clearance underneath the overhead support structures. A pedestrian walkway is located on the upstream side. Local utility lines cross the river 300 feet (100 m) north of the bridge.