(The Associated Press circulated the following article on June 9.)
MOUNT JEWETT, Pa. — The Kinzua Viaduct, once the longest and tallest railroad bridge in the world, hasn’t been much of a tourist attraction since it was mangled by a tornado two years ago.
But officials say $1 million in state funds released Wednesday to rehabilitate Kinzua Bridge State Park is the first step in preserving what is left of the structure. The money is the first portion of the $7 million total allocated by the state to renovate the McKean County park.
The July 2003 tornado destroyed 11 of the towers that supported the nearly half-mile long, 301-foot high bridge. Nine towers remain, and state officials hope to build observation decks on those remaining structures.
The $1 million awarded Wednesday will in part be used to help stabilize the structures. Also planned is an an interpretive center and museum.
The bridge was built in 94 days using 1,552 tons of iron in 1892, then rebuilt using steel in 1900 to hold heavier trains. The last freight train crossed the bridge in 1959, which remained the fourth-tallest U.S. railroad bridge until it was destroyed.
About 188,000 people visited the park in 1999, but by 2004, the number of visitors dwindled to 32,000. Officials said that resulted in a $7 million loss to the local economy.
“This will help us address the visitor decline,” Linda Devlin, executive director of the Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau, said Wednesday. “It’s imperative that we start as soon as possible.”
Speaking before the announcement, Eugune Comoss, chief engineer for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said plans called for the observation decks to be built on each side of the Kinzua valley as well as keeping the bridge’s debris field in the valley floor “to tell a story to park visitors.”
Comoss ruled out rebuilding the bridge for rail traffic, which would cost about $42 million. He also said there were no plans to build a pedestrian bridge across the valley, which would cost roughly $9 million.
Devlin, though, was optimistic that a foot bridge could be built and that the walkway could be linked to area hiking trails.
“It would provide that experience of standing in the middle of the gorge and having the wind blow in your face and experiencing that sensation,” she said.