South Street Bridge

South Street Bridge. . , The Pennsylvania Legislature ordered Philadelphia to build a bridge at South Street in 1861. At the time, the City was short on money and Southwest Philadelphia was mostly undeveloped. Many people fought construction of the bridge, saying that it was not fair to tax Philadelphians for an expensive bridge that few people would use., The first South Street Bridge, a stone arch and trestle swing bridge, opened in 1876. In less than two years the western pier shifted, causing nine arches to collapse. The City's budget was limited, so this section of the bridge was replaced with a temporary trestle., A longer drawbridge that accommodated trolleys, auto, and pedestrian traffic was built at South Street in 1923. the addition of highway on-rams in the 1960s made pedestrian crossings difficult. The current bridge, built in 2010, provides a safer and more pleasant experience for pedestrians and cyclists and calms automobile traffic., [Captions:] , 1923 This double bascule-style drawbridge allowed tall-masted ships to travel upriver., 1876 The western pier of the original bridge was unstable and the man-powered swing draw span was difficult to operate., 1878 The bridge collapsed while crews were attempting to repair it. Everyone survived., 1910 A temporary western trestle and a new pier lead to the central span of the original bridge., 2013 The light towers on the current bridge are symbolic of the historic 1923 drawbridge.