Homestead Grays Bridge

Homestead Grays Bridge
Pittsburgh-Homestead High Level Bridge
Truss bridge
View of the Homestead Grays Bridge
Official name: Homestead Grays Bridge
Named for: Homestead Grays
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Allegheny
Municipalities Pittsburgh, Homestead
Road Blue Belt 4 lanes
 - Sidewalks Each side
Crosses Monongahela River, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway
Coordinates 40°24′39″N 79°55′08″W / 40.41083°N 79.91889°W / 40.41083; -79.91889Coordinates: 40°24′39″N 79°55′08″W / 40.41083°N 79.91889°W / 40.41083; -79.91889
Length 3,750 ft (1,143 m)
 - Main span 516.3 ft (157 m)
Clearance 49.9 ft (15 m)
 - Navigational 109.3 ft (33 m) mid-span
Number of Spans 4
Design Wichert truss
Material Steel
Built 1936
 - Opened 1937
 - Reconstructed 1979, 2006
Maintained by Allegheny County
NBI Number 027301304723920
Location of the Homestead Grays Bridge in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Wikimedia Commons: Homestead Grays Bridge
Designated 2001[1]

The Homestead Grays Bridge, also known as the (Homestead) High Level Bridge, was built in 1936 and spans the Monongahela River between Homestead Borough and the southernmost tip of Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.[2] It is notable as the first bridge to incorporate the Wichert Truss, which uses a quadrilateral shape over each support, into its design. This made the truss statically determinate, so that forces in the structural members could be calculated.

History

The bridge was dedicated on Saturday November 20, 1937, having cost the county of Allegheny $2,750,000 to build and originally carried four highway lanes and two streetcar tracks of Pittsburgh Railways Company.[3] It replaced the 1897 Brown's Bridge (Homestead and Highland Bridge) which was upstream and had linked Brown's Hill Rd on the north bank and Second Avenue between Ann Street and Amity Street, Homestead on the south bank.[4]

On July 11, 2002, the Homestead High-Level Bridge was renamed the Homestead Grays Bridge in honor of the Homestead Grays baseball team.[5]

The bridge had grown dilapidated since its last renovation in 1979. In 2006 and 2007 work was undertaken to rehabilitate the bridge: the deck was removed and the structure stripped down to the steel, then the steel structure repaired and a new, wider deck put on. The new deck is six feet wider in traffic lanes—three feet on each side—and also has broader pedestrian walkways. The railings and lighting were replaced with reproductions of historic models, and the entire structure received a new coat of blue-grey paint.

Bridge railing pattern

See also

References

  1. Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  2. "Squirrel Hill South (map)" (PDF). City of Pittsburgh. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  3. "Homestead High Level Bridge". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 19, 1937. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  4. "PGHBridges.com - Brown's Bridge 1897". March 15, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  5. "High-Level Bridge Renamed For Homestead Grays". ThePittsburghChannel.com. July 11, 2002. Retrieved December 21, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Homestead Grays Bridge.
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