Prestressing removes a number of design limitations conventional concrete places on

span and load and permits the building of roofs, floors, bridges, and walls with longer
unsupported spans. This allows architects and engineers to design and build lighter and
shallower concrete structures without sacrificing strength.
The Walnut Lane Memorial Bridge is a prestressed concrete girder bridge in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed by Belgian Engineer Gustave Magnel and built by
the City of Philadelphia. Completed and fully opened to traffic in 1951, this three-span
bridge carries Walnut Lane over Lincoln Drive and Monoshone Creek. It was the first
major prestressed concrete beam bridge designed and built in the United States when
completed