Thebridges of Pittsburghplay an important role inthe city's transportation system.Withoutbridges,the Pittsburgh region would be a series of fragmented valleys, hillsides, river plains, and isolated communities.[1]
A 2006 study[2]determined that, at the time,Pittsburghhad 446 bridges, though that number has been disputed.[3]With its proximity to three major rivers and countless hills andravines,Pittsburgh is known as"The City of Bridges".[4]
History
editPittsburgh's first river bridges, made of wood and long since replaced, opened in 1818 at Smithfield Street and 1819 at Sixth Street (then St. Clair Street). The city's oldest in-service bridge is the currentSmithfield Street Bridge,which opened in 1883; it was designated aNational Historic Landmarkin 1976.[5]Pittsburgh waged a massive road and bridge building campaign from 1924 to 1940; most of Pittsburgh's oldest major bridges date from this period. The coming of theInterstate Highway Systemtriggered more construction in the second half of the twentieth century, as vehicular speed and throughput requirements increased. The result of more than 100 years of bridge building is a collection of most of the major types of bridge (suspension,cantilever,arch,etc.), mostly built from locally producedsteel,including about forty river spans.
Many of the bridges in the Downtown area are colored Aztec Gold,[6]either constructed as such or painted afterward, to match the city's official colors of black and gold. A few old and out-of-service bridges, such as theHot Metal Bridge(which stood dormant until reopening as a passenger bridge in the year 2000), are exceptions to this rule.
Degrading bridge conditions
editAccording to a 2011 study byTransportation for America,1,194 bridges in the Pittsburgh area—or 30.4%—were deficient, the highest proportion in the nation.[7][8]
On February 8, 2008, theBirmingham Bridgesuffered a failure of its rocker bearings, causing the deck to drop eight inches, prompting a closure of the bridge. The bridge was repaired and fully reopened on September 8, 2008.[9]
On January 28, 2022, theFern Hollow BridgeacrossFrick Parkcollapsed, forcing the closure ofForbes Avenuethrough the park. The bridge was covered with snow when it collapsed at 6:39 a.m. local time as it was being crossed by several cars and a bus.[10]The bridge was rebuilt and reopened on December 22, 2022.[11]
Major bridges
editThis table lists all bridges crossing theAllegheny,MonongahelaandOhiorivers in the City of Pittsburgh limits. Other large or notable bridges are also included.
| Crossing | Carries | Image | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Pitt Bridge |      I-376/US 19 Truck/US 22/US 30
|
|
40°26′20″N80°00′40″W/ 40.4388°N 80.0111°W |
| Smithfield Street Bridge | Smithfield Street | 
|
40°26′06″N80°00′07″W/ 40.4351°N 80.0020°W |
| Panhandle Bridge | Pittsburgh Regional TransitT Light Rail Line | 
|
40°25′59″N79°59′53″W/ 40.43306°N 79.99806°W |
| Liberty Bridge | ConnectsLiberty Tunnelto Downtown Pittsburgh | 
|
40°25′58″N79°59′48″W/ 40.4328°N 79.9968°W |
| South Tenth Street Bridge | South Tenth Street | 
|
40°25′57″N79°59′21″W/ 40.43250°N 79.98917°W |
| Birmingham Bridge | Connects Fifth and Forbes avenues to East Carson Street | 
|
40°26′00″N79°58′25″W/ 40.433361°N 79.973499°W |
| Hot Metal Bridge | Great Allegheny Passage/Three Rivers Heritage Trail,
Hot Metal Street |
|
|
| Glenwood Bridge |  PA 885
|
|
|
| Glenwood B&O Railroad Bridge | Allegheny Valley Railroad | 
|
|
| Homestead Grays Bridge(Homestead High Level Bridge) |  Blue Belt
|
|
Other bridges
editThis table lists some other major bridges within the City of Pittsburgh limits.
See also
edit
References
edit
- ^Kidney, Walter C. (1999).Pittsburgh's Bridges: Architecture and Engineering.Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.ISBN978-0916670214.
- ^"Just How Many Bridges Are There In Pittsburgh?".thePittsburghchannel.September 13, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon February 4, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 30,2010.
- ^Houser, Mark (March 16, 2022)."Does Pittsburgh Really Have More Bridges Than Any Other City?".Pittsburgh Magazine(published April 2022).RetrievedMarch 21,2023.
- ^Smith, Brady."Pittsburgh: The City of Bridges".The Heinz History Center.RetrievedJanuary 28,2022.
- ^"Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Pennsylvania"(PDF).National Park Service.June 2013. p. 5.Archived(PDF)from the original on November 5, 2012.RetrievedAugust 7,2013.
- ^Potter, Chris."Why are the bridges in Pittsburgh painted yellow?".pghcitypaper.Archivedfrom the original on February 22, 2014.
- ^Schmitz, Jon (October 19, 2011)."Bridges in Pittsburgh labeled the worst".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on November 22, 2011.RetrievedNovember 28,2011.
- ^"The Fix We're In For: The State of Our Nation's Busiest Bridges"(PDF).Metropolitan Bridge Rankings.Transportation for America.October 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 12, 2011.RetrievedNovember 28,2011.
- ^Simmons, Matt (February 8, 2021)."ON THIS DAY: February 8, 2008, Birmingham Bridge closed after deck drops 8 inches".WPXI.RetrievedJanuary 28,2022.
- ^"Frick Park Bridge Collapse: 10 People Injured, 4 Sent To Hospital".CBS Local.RetrievedAugust 6,2022.
- ^Felton, Julia (December 22, 2022)."Pittsburgh's new Fern Hollow Bridge reopens to traffic".TribLIVE.RetrievedMay 22,2023.
- ^http://pghbridges /pittsburghE/0589-4476/anderson.htm.
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)