Weeks of drought in western Pennsylvania have caused river levels to drop so low that the historic Great Crossing Bridge has resurfaced for the first time in decades.
The 200-year-old bridge, an 1818 structure made of cut sandstone, is typically located on 50 feet below the surface of the Youghiogheny River Lake.
But the lake, which has an average water elevation of 1,439 feet above sea level, was at 1,378 feet on Oct. 18 and had dropped another four feet as of Friday.
The Great Crossing Bridge was built to connect Fayette and Somerset counties, which have been hit by weeks of drought.
This is the first time since 1998 that the bridge’s three arches have been visible and only a few times in the past 80 years has the structure visible and accessible.
The rare event caused excitement in the area as people drove from miles away to walk through the historic structure for a unique experience.
Officials predict water levels will recover in the coming weeks as winter typically brings large snowfalls and heavy rains to the area.
Weeks of drought in western Pennsylvania have caused river levels to drop so low that the historic Great Crossing Bridge has resurfaced for the first time in decades.
October was an exceptionally dry month in the northeastern US.
Parts of some states — including Pennsylvania — have set records for the longest consecutive days without measurable precipitation, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center.
Philadelphia recently broke the 150-year record for most consecutive dry days, marking the 29th consecutive day on October 28.
Vince Klinkner, the resource manager at Youghiogheny River Lake, told us WTAE: ‘I see at least seven different articles showing where the bridge failed and telling more or less the same story as what we are doing here today.
‘From the early 70s to the present.’
But the river lake is not at its lowest water level ever. In fact, it’s not even close to a top three right now, he continued.
Hundreds of visitors flocked to the Youghiogheny River Lake to witness the rare spectacle, CBS News Pittsburgh reported.
One of those visitors was Gerald O’Brien, who cycled from Uniontown to check it out.
“This is very unique,” O’Brien told CBS.
“You expect to see this and that in Europe, but to see this in our own country, to see the structure, it’s amazing,” he added.
Others who want to experience this piece of history should get there quickly. Once the water level returns to normal, you don’t know when the bridge will be visible again.
Karen Wolfe told it TribLive: ‘This is great. It’s probably been fifteen years that we’ve been coming here, and we’ve never seen it like this before.’
It is the first time since 1998 that the three arches of the bridge are visible
Jack Kemp and his wife Gail also made a trip to the bridge from their home in Hopwood, on the edge of Uniontown.
“You used to only see the top part of it,” he said. ‘Now you can see it all.
‘We’ve never been here before. We just saw him cross the (modern) bridge. I’ve never seen the water so low.’
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects water levels to return to normal levels once rain and winter snow begin.
But in the meantime, the renovated bridge offers a rare glimpse into Pennsylvania history.
The bridge’s name comes from George Washington’s reference to the area during certain marches along Braddock’s Toad, Jacob Miller, a curator at the Historical Society of Somerset County, said. CBS News Pittsburgh.
The US Army Corps of Engineers expects water levels to return to normal levels once rain and winter snow begin
“And before that, that was known as the Great Crossing of the Youghiogheny River,” Miller said.
Somerfield – a village in Somerset County – was settled in 1818 as ‘Smythfield’. It is named after the city’s founder, Phillip D. Smyth.
That same year, the Great Crossings Bridge was built as part of the National Road, connecting the Potomac and Ohio Rivers. It was the first highway built entirely with federal funds, CBS News Pittsburgh reported.
When the bridge was completed, it was christened by President James Monroe and his entire cabinet, the CBS report said.
In 1830 the town applied for a post office and discovered that there was already another town called Smythfield in the Commonwealth, so it was renamed Somerfield in honor of a local minister of that name, according Journal of Mountain Discoveries.
In the 1930s Somerfield and other neighboring towns saw a significant decline in prosperity.
It was therefore decided to build a nearby dam and flood the small valley to alleviate the flooding in the region.
The 180-foot-high and 1,600-foot-wide Youghiogheny Dam was built in 1944. As a result, Somerfield – and the Great Crossings Bridge – sank beneath the rising waters and were lost to history.
But every now and then, the bridge and other remnants of the lost city resurface, giving people a chance to visit a fascinating part of Pennsylvania’s past.