Columbia Bridge at Belmont

I was recently in West Phila. and climbing a hill was able to look down onto the Columbia Bridge, formerly Reading, nee Pennsy, now CSX. The bridge deck looks strange to me and I was wondering if it might not at one time have carried vehicular and pedestrian traffic along with rail traffic. There was even an old set of steps leading up from Kelly Drive to the bridge. Anyone know if at one time the bridge did make provisions for foot traffic or vehicles ?

I don't know that it ever had pedestrian or vehicle traffic but it did have at least one more track for many years.

If I have my history right, the Columbia bridge was part of the Belmont inclined plane on the Main Line of Public Works, so pedestrian access may have been included.

On the south side of the bridge along Kelly Drive there is a historical marker (complete with Reading diamond) that indicates it included a pedestrian walkway when it was built.

Thanks. Next timeI'm out there I'll look for it. Any time line on when ut was used ? Abandoned ?

The current bridge is not the original, though. The concrete arch bridge was built in two sections. The first was a two-track section immediately adjacent to the original iron bridge. After it was complete, the iron bridge was removed and the second half of the concrete bridge was completed. There were four tracks on the bridge, and Belmont Yard used to exist at the north end of the bridge. This was a freight interchange yard btwn the Reading and B&O.

The ARHS magazine Flags, Diamonds and Statues had a good article about this bridge many years ago. I'll have to look at my back issues to remember which issue it was featured in.