Thousands Cross Ben Franklin Bridge Daily, But How Many Know Its Secret?
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If you're sitting in traffic on the Ben Franklin Bridge, then you'll have a moment to consider this: the bridge has secret trolley stops and elevators that have never been used.
Inside the grey anchorages on either side of the Ben Franklin Bridge is the secret -- long-forgotten trolley stops that were never put into service.
DRPA senior engineer Mike Howard, who has written a book on the bridge's history, says the bridge was designed to accommodate trolleys from New Jersey:
"By the time the bridge had opened in 1926, a lot of the trolley lines had converted to buses and they never took advantage of the trolley track areas for that service."
Inside each of the four anchorages, are never-used elevators and seven tile mosaics depicting milestones in U.S. transportation.
"You have elevators that exist in there that are made of beautiful wood -- and just never opened to the public," Howard says.
And under the lightning bolt statue on the Philly side is a cavernous area meant as a terminal for the trolleys that never ran.