This is the eighteenth in a series of entries celebrating infrastructure achievements in the United States.
What: The Carrollton Viaduct, completed in 1829, is the oldest railroad bridge still in use in the world
Where: The Carrollton Viaduct is located at Gwynn’s Falls near Carroll Park in Baltimore, MD.
Length: 312 ft.
Deck width: 22 ft.
Interesting facts: The viaduct was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 11, 1971 and was additionally designated a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The Carrollton Viaduct was the first stone masonry bridge built for railroad use in the United States.
It was named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton (the longest-lived and last-surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He died at the age of 95).
The cost of the bridge upon completion was $58,106.73.
A temporary heavy timber structure, called centering, was first built to support the massive stone voussoirs of the arch until they were keyed and could support themselves.
Tags: Baltimore, Carrollton Viaduct, Great American Infrastructure, MD
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