Leffert L. Buck

Leffert L. Buck ( born February 5, 1837 in Canton, New York, USA, † July 17, 1909 in Hastings -on-Hudson, New York) was an American bridge engineer and one of the pioneers of the steel bridge construction.

Life and achievements

Leffert Lefferts Buck visited the newly established St. Lawrence University, but had to interrupt because of the American Civil War, in which he took part voluntarily his studies. He then studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he earned in 1868 the degree of Civil Engineer.

In Peru, he designed and built for the Ferrocarril Central del Perú, the 1873 completed Verrugas viaduct, at the time the highest bridge in the world.

From 1877 he was involved in the amplification of John A. Roebling's Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.

Then he built the 1891 opened Platt Street Bridge in Rochester (New York), the present Pont de Rennes.

From 1896 to 1897 he built the two-storey Whirlpool Rapids Bridge (also Lower Steel Arch Brige ), a steel arch bridge that was built to replace the outgrown Niagara Suspension Bridge without disrupting traffic around them.

From 1897 to 1898 he realized the Upper Steel Arch Bridge (also Fallsview Bridge or Honeymoon Bridge called ) over the Niagara River.

During this time he was also appointed chief engineer appointed by the Company for which he subsequently built his largest and last work, the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City, the first completely built of steel suspension bridge, which was opened in 1903 and at that time the had largest wingspan of all suspension bridges.