From stolen cars to sunken boats, you’re bound to discover fascinating things when a reservoir gets drained. The 16-mile-long Youghiogheny River Lake in Pennsylvania is lower than it’s been in decades due to a drought, and a 200-plus-year-old bridge has emerged from the bottom.
Pennsylvania-based news outlet WTAE explains the Great Crossings Bridge was built over the Youghiogheny River in 1818. It linked Fayette and Somerset counties until the 1940s, when it ended up 50 feet underwater after a dam was built nearby. The project also flooded seven small communities. When the water level drops, relics like the bridge, building foundations, and the remains of sidewalks rise from the lake. It’s ghost town-meets-lost city of Atlantis, albeit on a smaller scale. Fittingly, the bridge reappeared around Halloween.
While a drought isn’t something to celebrate, seeing what’s left of the Great Crossings Bridge above the lake is a rare treat: Its three arches haven’t been above the surface since 1998. Vince Klinkner, the Resources Manager at Youghiogheny River Lake, clarified that the ongoing drought isn’t record-setting, however. “We’re not close to a record low [level]. Not even close to a top three at this point,” he told WTAE.
Act fast if you want to see the bridge: the water level is expected to rise in the coming months due to seasonal rain and snow.
If you’re into underwater bridges that appear from time to time, stop by the Lake of Serre-Ponçon the next time you’re traveling through France. This huge, man-made reservoir fills a valley that used to be home to several villages and a bridge built for a railroad project that was abandoned in 1934. Much of the bridge is underwater when the lake is full, but when the water level drops you can walk on it and sometimes even kayak under it.
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