BRIDGES ON STAMPS:

DID YOU KNOW?

Bridges have been the subject of postage stamps both domestically and internationally. Here is some fascinating information about just some of these beautiful pieces of postal art.

The Mississippi River Bridge "The Eads Bridge"

Issued in 1898

The Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis was constructed from 1867 to its opening in 1874. The structure was built by Captain James Buchanan Eads, and is considered the first bridge made of steel. The USPS preferred to print "Mississippi River Bridge" rather than the proper, personal, private name "Eads."

The span is double deck, with the upper level carrying a highway with sidewalks. On the lower deck, two lines of railroad tracks fill the space. This marks the first time steel is used in truss-bridge construction. A franchise was obtained from Congress specifying that a clear span of 500 feet must be provided. Funding for the Bridge building came from contracts with the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Vice President was a young man of 35 years by the name of Andrew Carnegie. His connections with Eads were numerous. In his autobiography, completed shortly before his death, Carnegie credited his connection with Eads Bridge as starting him on his career. To this day the span is in full use.

The Brooklyn Bridge

Issued in 1983

In l869, construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge, over the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan. John Augustus Roebling, original architect of the project, was injured in an acciden - blood poisoning resulted in his untimely death. Fortunately his son, Colonel Washington Augustus Roebling, took over direction of the work involved from then on until completion. The grand opening was in May 1883.

This bridge handles two elevated railroad tracks, two streetcar (trolley) tracks, road lanes for vehicles, and even a foot walk for pedestrians. Its massive stone towers were designed to be lofty to carry the cables which in themselves-wire by wire-measured 16 inches in diameter. Tons of steel wire had to be used to hold up the incredibly heavy bridge deck.

This bridge is 1 mile long. It is constructed of four cables, each anchored to plates of many tons, embedded in masonry foundations. Each foundation has a weight of 44 thousand tons. Every cable contains more than five thousand steel wires-a total of fourteen thousand miles of wire. It took thirteen years to build.

The Peace Bridge

Issued in 1977

The Peace Bridge crosses the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Its stamp commemorates more than a century of friendship, trade, and peace between the United States and Canada. The two nations share the longest undefended border in the world. New advances in construction have been used. The Peace Bridge was built for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Clearance at one end of the span is for canal or ship movement. The bridge is made up of five steel arches and a single truss span. At the elaborate opening ceremonies in 1927 a number of luminaries attended, including Edward, Prince of Wales.

Future Postage Stamp? The Leonard P. Zakim Bridge

Opened 2002

The skyline-altering bridge named after a civil rights activist was dedicated in 2002 ceremony featuring Bruce Springsteen.

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge is a vital link to the City of Boston and connects Interstate 93 through the heart of downtown. The 10-lane asymmetrical 1400-foot long bridge is named after Zakim, who was a Boston civil rights activist who died of cancer in 1999 at age 46. The bridge also honors the shopkeepers, farmers and fishermen turned patriots who took up arms and held off the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 fought in the nearby Charlestown neighborhood of Boston.

Bruce Springsteen was invited to perform at the bridge's dedication ceremony -- he and Zakim became friends after they met backstage several years prior. Springsteen played an acoustic version of "Thunder Road" the recorded version of which was played at Zakim's funeral.

The bridge is the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world. There are 116 cables on the new gateway to the city -- its significance likened to the Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge.

Swiss engineer Christian Menn designed the 270-foot towers to reflect the Bunker Hill Monument.

For more information on Lenny Zakim and his beliefts and impact, visit thelennyzakimfund.org