Ralph Modjeski

Ralph Modjeski designed numerous landmark bridges, including the Benjamin Franklin Bridge connecting Philadelphia and Camden, completed in 1926, and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, completed in 1936. He also engineered the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge and contributed to the reconstruction of the Quebec Bridge. His career spanned over five decades of major American infrastructure work.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, spanning the Delaware River between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, was completed and opened to traffic in 1926. When it debuted, it briefly held the record as the longest suspension bridge in the world. It remains a major transportation artery carrying Interstate 76 and PATCO commuter trains.

Modjeski was born Rudolf Modrzejewski in 1861 in Kraków, Poland (then part of the Austrian Empire), and was the son of the famous Polish actress Helena Modjeska. He studied engineering at the École des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris before emigrating to the United States. He adopted the name Ralph Modjeski after settling in America.

Yes, the firm he co-founded, now known as Modjeski and Masters, continues to operate as a major bridge engineering company in the United States. The firm has been involved in the design and inspection of hundreds of bridges nationwide. It remains one of the oldest continuously operating engineering firms in the country.