Kinzua Viaduct

Kinzua Viaduct 

Student
: Corey Appleby
School: Bolivar-Richburg Central School District, Bolivar, NY
Grade: 9

Earth Science in Action Classroom Contest Winner

The Kinzua Viaduct, originally built in 1882 and rebuilt in 1900 survived the test of time for over 100 years. Freight trains traveled the viaduct daily through the mid-1900s. Then starting in 1987 excursion trains traveled the bridge carrying sightseers over the "Tracks Across the Sky". The Kinzua Viaduct was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. On July 21, 2003 while preservation efforts were in progress Mother Nature took over. That night an F1 tornado struck the bridge. The tornado was not the only factor in why the bridge had fallen. When Kinzua Viaduct was reconstructed in 1900, the builder used the same 1882 anchor bolts which deteriorated within the sandstone piers, thus weakening the structure drastically.

Photo details: Camera Maker: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY; Camera Model: KODAK EASYSHARE M341; Focal Length: 6mm; Aperture: f/3.1; Exposure Time: 1/640 s; Metering Mode: Pattern; Exposure: Normal; Light Source: Unknown; Flash Fired: No; Color Space: sRGB.