historic context of maryland highway bridges built between 1948 ...

SECTIONSIXResults of Field InvestigationsStatement of Significance:The MD 213 Bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (MIHP # CE-1083, BridgeCE0100) is associated with the historically significant Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and theAtlantic Intracoastal Waterway of which the canal is now a part. The canal, completed in 1829and widened numerous times during the twentieth century, links the Delaware River and theChesapeake Bay, and was built to provide a shortened inland route between Philadelphia andBaltimore. The MD 213 Bridge, completed in 1949, is associated with the canal‘s period ofownership (1919-present) by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which maintains andoperates the canal and the several bridges that cross over it in both Delaware and Maryland. Thepresent MD 213 Bridge was built to replace an earlier mechanical lift bridge also built by theUSACE and destroyed following a 1942 freighter collision. The bridge‘s tied arch (also knownas bowstring arch) design is also significant, as it is one of only two tied arch bridges built inMaryland during the 1948-1960 period. The bridge contractors for the Chesapeake City Bridge,the American Bridge Company, are among America‘s premier bridge builders. Formed in 1870,the company is responsible for two of the most famous arch bridges in the United States: theBayonne Bridge in New Jersey (1932) and the New River Gorge Bridge (1977) in West Virginia.National Register of Historic Places Eligibility:The MD 213 Bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (MIHP # CE-1083, BridgeCE0100) is National Register-eligible under Criterion A on the state level with the period ofsignificance being 1949. The bridge is associated with the historically significant Chesapeake &Delaware Canal and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway of which the canal is now a part. Thecanal, completed in 1829 and widened numerous times during the twentieth century, links theDelaware River and the Chesapeake Bay, and was built to provide a shortened inland routebetween Philadelphia and Baltimore. The MD 213 Bridge, completed in 1949, is associated withthe canal‘s period of ownership (1919-present) by the US Army Corps of Engineers, whichmaintains and operates the canal and the several bridges that cross over it in both Delaware andMaryland. The present MD 213 Bridge was built to replace an earlier mechanical lift bridge alsobuilt by the USACE and destroyed following a 1942 freighter collision.The MD 213 Bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal is not eligible under Criterion B asit is not associated with an individual significant on the local, state, or national level.The MD 213 Bridge is National Register–eligible under Criterion C on the state level with theperiod of significance as 1949. The bridge‘s tied arch (also known as bowstring arch) design issignificant, as it is one of only two tied arch bridges built in Maryland during the 1948-1960period. The tied arch is a variation of the simple arch bridge which allows for construction evenif the ground is not solid enough to deal with the horizontal forces. Rather than relying on thefoundation to restrain the horizontal forces, the girder itself ―ties‖ both ends of the arch together.Only about eighty tied arch bridges have been built in the United States. Besides the MD 213Bridge, the only other tied arch bridge built in Maryland during the 1948-1960 period is the socalledBlue Bridge (Bridge 1006) in Cumberland, Allegany County. Completed in 1954, the BlueBridge consists of two tied arch spans and crosses the North Branch of the Potomac Riverbetween Cumberland and Ridgeley, West Virginia.The MD 213 Bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal is also eligible under Criterion C onthe state level with period of significance as 1949 as the work of the American Bridge Company.\15-SEP-11\\ 7-17