Tunkhannock Viaduct
Nicholson Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
This reinforced concrete structure was the largest of its kind ever built when it went into service in 1915 on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The bridge, 2,375 feet long and rising 240 feet above Tunkhannock Creek, was the focal point of a 39.6-mile relocation between Clarks Summit and Hallstead. The novelist Theodore Dreiser called this viaduct "one of the true wonders of the world."
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When it opened in 1915 on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, the Tunkhannock Viaduct was the largest reinforced-concrete structure ever built. Stretching 2,375 feet and rising 240 feet above Tunkhannock Creek, it was the centerpiece of a nearly forty-mile line relocation meant to straighten and speed the railroad. The novelist Theodore Dreiser marveled at it as "one of the true wonders of the world."
Why it matters
The viaduct showcased the era's faith in concrete engineering and stands as a monument to the ambition of American railroading at its peak.
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Themes & tags
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