Curving nearly 100 feet high above Flaugherty Creek and active railroad tracks, the massive 910-foot Keystone Viaduct carries GAP travelers through a narrow cut into a rocky ridge three miles east of Meyersdale. Its modern decking for bicyclists and hikers contains iron oxide to match the bridge’s truss girders. A scramble up the rocks on its west portal invites great views of the entire bridge and the wind farms directly to the east.
Viaduct History
The Keystone Viaduct was built in 1911 by the Western Maryland Railway as a key link in its expansion from Cumberland to Connellsville. Its primary span is straight, although the GAP curves through it, matching the arc of the bridge’s curved span. Work in 2003 to prepare the Keystone Viaduct for the Great Allegheny Passage included removing two of the bridge’s piers and adding a girder. In 2011, CSX Corporation raised the entire bridge slightly to accommodate double-stacked cars on its tracks below.
Visitor Information
Open daily, dawn to dusk. The closest parking is at a crossroads called Sand Patch, or at the trailhead in nearby Meyersdale.