Bridges of Pittsburgh

At least fifteen of Pittsburgh's bridges are visible in this aerial photo.

The Bridges of Pittsburgh play an important role in the city's transportation system.

A 2006 study determined that Pittsburgh has 446 bridges, and with its proximity to three major rivers and countless hills and ravines, Pittsburgh is known as "The City of Bridges". Pittsburgh is the world record holder for bridges with piers and stands contained entirely within city limits, beating out Venice, Italy, the previous record holder by 3 bridges. There are many more bridges in Pittsburgh that are not counted toward the world record as they lack piers.

According to a 2011 study by Transportation for America, 30 of of Pittsburgh's bridges were deficient, the highest in the nation.

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. 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 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.

Notable bridges

Fort Duquesne Bridge

West End Bridge

Smithfield Street Bridge

• The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River at the point. It carries Interstate 376 between the Fort Pitt Tunnel and Point State Park.

• The Fort Duquesne Bridge is a steel tied arch bridge that spans the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries Pennsylvania Route 65 / Interstate 279 (North Shore Expressway), which runs through Downtown Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle towards Interstate 79.

• The West End Bridge is a large steel arch bridge which crosses the Ohio River. It is the first bridge on the Ohio River heading toward the Mississippi River. The bridge carries U.S. Route 19.

• The Liberty Bridge crosses over the Monongahela River, intersecting Interstate 579 at its southern terminus.

• The Three Sisters are three parallel, nearly identical self-anchored suspension bridges that cross the Allegheny River at 6th, 7th, and 9th streets. The bridges have been recently renamed for prominent Pittsburgh residents: Roberto Clemente Bridge, Andy Warhol Bridge, and Rachel Carson Bridge.

• The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River. Its two main lenticular spans make the bridge very recognizable. It is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, according to a plaque on the bridge.

• The George Westinghouse Bridge crosses 240 feet above Turtle Creek Valley in East Pittsburgh.

See also

• Crossings of the Ohio River in Pennsylvania
• Crossings of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania
• Crossings of the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania
• Bridges and tunnels in New York City

External links

• Bridges & Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA -- Bruce S. Cridlebaugh's excellent, authoritative and exhaustive website
• Photos of Pittsburgh area bridges. -- Extensive photo-documentation of several Pittsburgh bridges.