Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
| Veterans Memorial Bridge Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge |
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Looking west over the Susquehanna River
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| Coordinates | 40°01′44″N 76°31′01″W / 40.02889°N 76.51694°WCoordinates: 40°01′44″N 76°31′01″W / 40.02889°N 76.51694°W |
| Carries | 2 lanes of  PA 462 and BicyclePA Route S
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| Crosses | Susquehanna River |
| Locale | Wrightsville, Pennsylvania and Columbia, Pennsylvania |
| Official name | Veterans Memorial Bridge |
| Maintained by | PennDOT |
| ID number | 360462001000000 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | concrete deck arch bridge |
| Total length | 6,657 feet (2,029 m) |
| Width | 48 feet (15 m) |
| Longest span | 185 feet (56 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | September 30, 1930 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 10,350 (2004) |
| Toll | was $0.25 for cars when opened; toll no longer collected |
The Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge, officially the Veterans Memorial Bridge, spans the Susquehanna River between Columbia and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and carries Pennsylvania Route 462 and BicyclePA Route S. Built originally as the Lancaster-York Intercounty Bridge, construction began in 1929, and the bridge opened September 30, 1930. On November 11, 1980, it was officially dedicated as Veterans Memorial Bridge, though it is still referenced locally as the Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge.
Designed by James B. Long and built by Glen Wiley and Glenway Maxon (Wiley-Maxon Construction Company), it cost $2,484,000 (equal to $35,612,247 today) plus $56,400 (equal to $808,587 today) paid as an early completion bonus. Constructed of reinforced concrete, the 5,183-foot (1,580 m)-long bridge (6,657 feet (2,029 m) including spans over land) has 27 river piers, 22 approach piers, a 38-foot (12 m)-wide two-lane roadway, and a 6-foot (1.8 m)-wide sidewalk. 100,000 cubic yards (76,000 m3) of concrete and 8 million pounds of steel reinforcing rods were used, and coffer dams were built to aid in construction. Each span consists of three separate concrete ribs connected at five points by horizontal concrete struts, with the longest span measuring 185 feet (56 m).
In nominating the present Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge as an engineering landmark, the Pennsylvania section of the American Society of Civil Engineers noted that it is "a splendid example of the graceful multiple-span, reinforced-concrete arched form popular in early 20th Century highway bridges in the United States." The bridge is designated State Route 462 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is also a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Instead of being replaced by a name such as the Old Lincoln Highway, its name is a kept part of the historic Lincoln Highway in local naming, (meaning it'd previously carried U.S. Route 30 (US 30) which as a modern four-lane highway runs parallel to this older earlier road and lead to the two lane stretch being renamed Route 462 as it is today), the nation's first transcontinental highway, connecting a series of local highways and stretching from New York City to San Francisco. The opening in 1940 of the cross-state Pennsylvania Turnpike, a part of Interstate 76, subsequently provided faster passage.
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