The People’s Bridge

The People's Bridge, now the oldest bridge across the Susquehanna River, was constructed in 1889 using the Baltimore Truss and Phoenix Column in an innovative cast-iron design. It was erected by the People's Bridge Company, organized by the renowned Harrisburg civic leader E.Z. Wallower, as a low-cost alternative to the nearby Camelback Bridge, later replaced by the current Market Street Bridge, which had enjoyed a monopoly in fare-paying bridge traffic since 1816. Carrying horse-drawn vehicles, electric streetcars, and eventually automobiles, with affordable tolls charged until 1956, it remained a major traffic thoroughfare between the East and West Shores until 1972, when the Hurricane Agnes Flood severely weakened it and it was closed to traffic. Today it serves as a pedestrian and cycling link.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania · United States