It was opened to traffic in 1951, replacing a swing bridge to the south which carried Penrose Ferry Road across the river.

Originally called the Penrose Avenue Bridge, it was renamed in 1979 to honor Civil War hero George Crawford Platt (1842–1912).

On August 17, a fire began in a tank to the northeast of the bridge that was being filled with Venezuelan crude oil.

[4] In June 2011,[5] PennDOT began a three-year, $42.8 million rehabilitation project to repair and maintain the bridge, enabling it to continue to safely carry vehicular and pedestrian traffic for decades to come.

From May 7, 2012, until the completion of construction in June 2014,[7] trucks and buses weighing more than seven tons or carrying hazardous material were banned from using the bridge to minimize the risk of accidents on one-lane sections.