Washington Crossing Bridge (Pittsburgh)

Washington Crossing Bridge
Coordinates	40°28′22″N 79°58′07″W
Carries	40th Street
Crosses	Allegheny River
Locale	Pittsburgh and Millvale
Other name(s)	40th Street Bridge
Maintained by	Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	2,366 feet (721 m)
Width	3 lanes
Longest span	360 feet (110 m)
Piers in water	4
Clearance below	72.5 feet (22.1 m)
History
Designer	Benno Janssen, Janssen & Cocken
Opened	1924
Pittsburgh Landmark – PHLF
Designated	2004
Location

The Washington Crossing Bridge, commonly known as the Fortieth Street Bridge, is an arch bridge that carries vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville and the suburb of Millvale.

History

The bridge was originally built to accommodate two lanes of traffic and one streetcar line; a 1982 re-decking allowed for the creation of a reversible third automobile lane.

The bridge received its name because it is located at a historically significant site pertaining to George Washington's military career. In 1753, then-Major Washington was dispatched to give French forces an ultimatum to negotiate for the return of the lands that today make up Western Pennsylvania to the British or to prepare for a military strike. Crossing the Allegheny on a wooden raft, Washington was nearly killed when his vessel overturned at this site.

See also

• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
• List of crossings of the Allegheny River

External links

• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-1179, "Washington Crossing Bridge, Fortieth Street, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA", 14 measured drawings
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-447, "Washington Crossing Bridge"