The bridges of Pittsburgh play an important role in the city's transportation system. Without bridges, the Pittsburgh region would be a series of fragmented valleys, hillsides, river plains, and isolated communities.
A 2006 study determined that, at the time, Pittsburgh had 446 bridges, though that number has been disputed. With its proximity to three major rivers and countless hills and ravines, Pittsburgh is known as "The City of Bridges".
History
Pittsburgh'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 current Smithfield Street Bridge, which opened in 1883; it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. 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 the Interstate Highway System triggered 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 produced steel, including about forty river spans.
Many of the bridges in the Downtown area are colored Aztec Gold, 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 the Hot Metal Bridge (which stood dormant until reopening as a passenger bridge in the year 2000), are exceptions to this rule.
Degrading bridge conditions
According to a 2011 study by Transportation for America, 1,194 bridges in the Pittsburgh area—or 30.4%—were deficient, the highest proportion in the nation.
On February 8, 2008, the Birmingham Bridge suffered 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.
On January 28, 2022, the Fern Hollow Bridge across Frick Park collapsed, forcing the closure of Forbes Avenue through 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. The bridge was rebuilt and reopened on December 22, 2022.
Major bridges
This table lists all bridges crossing the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers in the City of Pittsburgh limits. Other large or notable bridges are also included.
Monongahela River
See also: List of crossings of the Monongahela River
Allegheny River
See also: List of crossings of the Allegheny River § Pennsylvania
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Ohio River
See also: List of crossings of the Ohio River § Pennsylvania
Other bridges
This table lists some other major bridges within the City of Pittsburgh limits.
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See also
Transport portal
Engineering portal
Pennsylvania portal- List of tunnels in Pittsburgh
- Crossings of the Ohio River in Pennsylvania
- Crossings of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania
- Crossings of the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania
References
- Kidney, Walter C. (1999). Pittsburgh's Bridges: Architecture and Engineering. Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. ISBN 978-0916670214.
- "Just How Many Bridges Are There In Pittsburgh?". thePittsburghchannel.com. September 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- Houser, Mark (March 16, 2022). "Does Pittsburgh Really Have More Bridges Than Any Other City?". Pittsburgh Magazine (published April 2022). Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- Smith, Brady. "Pittsburgh: The City of Bridges". The Heinz History Center. Retrieved January 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. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- Potter, Chris. "Why are the bridges in Pittsburgh painted yellow?". pghcitypaper.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
- Schmitz, Jon (October 19, 2011). "Bridges in Pittsburgh labeled the worst". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved November 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 from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- Simmons, Matt (February 8, 2021). "ON THIS DAY: February 8, 2008, Birmingham Bridge closed after deck drops 8 inches". WPXI. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- "Frick Park Bridge Collapse: 10 People Injured, 4 Sent To Hospital". CBS Local. January 29, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- Felton, Julia (December 22, 2022). "Pittsburgh's new Fern Hollow Bridge reopens to traffic". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- http://pghbridges.com/pittsburghE/0589-4476/anderson.htm.
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External links
- Bridges & Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA
- Allegheny County entry at Historic Bridges
- "urbantraipsing.wordpress.com - pittsburgh bridges".
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