Blackbridge Road went under Black Bridge
Black Bridge carries trains over the Codorus Creek as railroad traffic moves between York and Emigsville. A railroad bridge was first built at this location in 1848.
In this postcard view of Black Bridge, the photographer is standing in Manchester Township and looking across the Codorus Creek into Springettsbury Township. The path under the closest bridge span is the initial Blackbridge Road, which hugged the Manchester Township bank of the Codorus Creek at this location.
Besides the bridge carrying the railroad tracks over the Codorus Creek, until recently, it has also carried the railroad tracks over a public road. This road took the name Blackbridge Road after the bridge was dubbed Black Bridge; this naming will be the subject of a future post.
I’ve pointed out the original location of Blackbridge Road on the following October 9, 1957 aerial photo. I also drew the location of Toronita Street north of Arsenal Road; to be built about 1960 to intersect with the original Blackbridge Road. The reason for the partially completed I-83 in 1957 is told in the post: 4-Lane Interstate planned through Downtown York?
In the 1980s a new Blackbridge Road was built, and much of the original Blackbridge Road was abandoned. This was done because of anticipated heavier traffic use, due to the late 1989 opening of the York County Solid Waste Incinerator on Blackbridge Road. I drew the new Blackbridge Road at the appropriate location on the 1957 Aerial Photo.
The location of the present Blackbridge Road, high on the hillside, versus the creek-side location at the base of cliffs, is highlighted in the following photo taken from the newly opened 2.5-mile Springettsbury Township section of the Heritage Rail Trail County Park.
These rocky cliffs are the reason that the Codorus Creek makes a sharp 90-degrees turn from flowing northward to flowing eastward. Let’s look at another aerial photo from September 18, 1937; where I’ve zoomed in on Black Bridge. I again point out the original location of Blackbridge Road; look closely and you can see it passing under Black Bridge.
Related posts include:
- On the Job at Black Bridge
- How Black Bridge got its Name
- Pinpointing when Black Bridge got its Name
- Covered Railroad Bridge over the Codorus Creek
- Civil War Era Bridge Types at Black Bridge Location
- 4-Lane Interstate planned through Downtown York?
- Guess the Time Required to Paint an INCREDIBLY Long Bridge
- North Penn Street ‘Drawbridge’ was raised with Muscle Power
- Susquehanna Trail Bridges
- Eagle Nest within 700-feet of Route 30
