Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge
The first vehicular crossing of the Susquehanna was opened in 1910. It was a converted Pennsylvania Railroad bridge, which became known as the Gold Mine, after the approximate million-dollar profit it made its seven original owners. Bought by the state and converted to a double deck bridge in 1923, its two lanes proved in the thirties unable to handles the increase in motor traffic. This led to the upstream construction of the Susquehanna Toll Bridge. Part of a planned highway for national defense, it opened in 1940. The superstructure is carried over the water by 52 piers, some of which extend 117 feet below the surface. It was later renamed the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge after a Harford county representative. The old Gold Mine bridge was torn down and used for scrap metal during World War II.
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Span: 1.4 miles Cost: $4.8 mil Length: 1.5 miles Width: 46 ft., 4 lanes Height: 89 ft. |
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