Freight traffic discontinued in 1959. In 1963, the Governor signed a law that created Kinzua Bridge State Park and the park officially opened in 1970. In 1977, the Viaduct received national recognition when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks.
Beginning in 1987, excursion trains traveled from Kane, PA, through the Allegheny National Forest, stopping on Kinzua Viaduct before returning to its point of origin.
Engineers determined that high winds could create lateral pressure on the bridge, shifting the center of gravity, increasing the weight on one side. Such an event could send the whole bridge crashing to the bottom of Kinzua Creek Valley. Beginning in February, 2003, repair work began to restore the Viaduct.
On Monday, July 21, 2003, at approximately 3:15 p.m., an F1 tornado with wind speeds up to 112 mph struck the side of the bridge. Eleven towers from the center of the bridge were torn from their concrete bases and thrown to the valley floor.
I'll see you tomorrow with another Postcard . . . ta ta!