St. Georges Bridge, Steel tied-arch bridge in Saint Georges, Delaware.
St. Georges Bridge is a steel tied-arch bridge that crosses the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in Delaware, carrying U.S. Route 13 between the two banks. It has four lanes and sits high enough above the water to allow large cargo vessels to pass beneath without obstruction.
The bridge was built in 1942 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to replace an older lift span that had been damaged by a German merchant ship. The new fixed structure was chosen to handle growing road traffic while keeping the canal open to ships.
The bridge takes its name from Saint Georges, a small town on the southern bank of the canal, itself named after the English patron saint George. Today, heavy trucks and passenger cars cross it side by side, while cargo ships pass beneath on their way between the two bays.
The bridge is open to road traffic around the clock, and pedestrians can use the walkways on either side to cross the canal and look out over the water. In strong winds or bad weather, walkway access may be limited, so it is worth checking conditions before you head out.
During renovation work carried out between 1998 and 2001, crews discovered that the old paint contained lead, which required a full removal effort to prevent contamination of the canal water below. The project became one of the largest lead paint removal operations on a bridge in the region at the time.
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