Hill to Hill Bridge

It replaced a two-lane covered bridge and eliminated several grade crossings of three railroads on the two banks of the Lehigh River.

The Main Street bridge was narrow and was regularly damaged by floods and ice.

On the north side, the bridge crossed the Lehigh Canal and the tracks of the Central Railroad of New Jersey before continuing up Seminary Hill, named for the Moravian Church's Female Seminary, to the Main Street business district.

Community leaders found the covered bridge to be a barrier to commerce between "the Bethlehems".

By 1921, a commission was in place to design and oversee the construction of the new Lehigh River span.

As constructed, the bridge had nine approaches, eleven abutments, forty-eight piers, and fifty-eight spans.

By September 1924, the bridge was complete and opened by mayor James Yeakel and provided safe, grade-separated connections between the two halves of the city.

It was designed by Clarence W. Hudson and its structure makes use of "a combination of steel through truss and concrete closed spandrel deck arch spans"[3] A unique characteristic of the bridge was the design of the two truss spans, needed to provide clearance over the railroads.

A 1906 photograph of the old bridge, which was replaced in September 1924 with the opening of Hill to Hill Bridge, which crosses the Lehigh River and connects the north and south sides of Bethlehem
Hill to Hill Bridge in Bethlehem , September 2013
Hill to Hill Bridge dedication plaque, placed 1924 on Bridge Street ramp to Main Street
Pictorial narrative of design and construction of Bethlehem’s Hill-to-Hill Bridge
Sketch schematic of Hill-to-Hill Bridge approaches and overcrossings as of opening date in 1924.
Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in December 2014