The Bigelow Bridge over Cattaraugus Creek is significant as an intact example of a Pennsylvania (Petit) truss, a Parker truss modified with the addition of sub-struts and resting on reinforced concrete abutments. This unusual bridge type in New York State may represent the work of a Pennsylvania bridge builder rather than a typical New York bridge company, and this kind of truss structure was more commonly used by railroads. Built in 1925, the single-span steel bridge is also important as a prominent element in an unaltered rural setting. It was designed for very heavy live loads, which may relate to the historic use of this road as a motor truck route between the southern tier and the Niagara Frontier. By 1928, the motor truck had become an indispensable factor in the total economic system in western New York, and farm products from the rural southern tier were transported along NY 240, crossing the Bigelow Bridge by truck to Buffalo to sustain inhabitants in a growing economy. The bridge retains a high degree of historic integrity. The adjoining areas of Cattaraugus Creek are also listed on the Nationwide Rivers Inventory because they possess areas of significant topography, diversity and variation, and these sections of Cattaraugus Creek have outstanding remarkable geologic value and are eligible for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.