Hot Metal Bridge

This article is about the Pittsburgh bridge. For the rail bridge between Rankin and Whitaker, see Carrie Furnace Hot Metal Bridge.
Hot Metal Bridge

Roadway south portal from the bike trail.
Coordinates 40°25′42″N 79°57′39″W / 40.428268°N 79.960776°W / 40.428268; -79.960776Coordinates: 40°25′42″N 79°57′39″W / 40.428268°N 79.960776°W / 40.428268; -79.960776
Carries South 29th Street
Mon Con: motor vehicles, 2 lanes
Hot Metal: converted for pedestrian and bicycles
Crosses Monongahela River
Locale Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Official name Monongahela Connecting Railroad Bridge and Hot Metal Bridge
Other name(s) MC RR Bridge, Mon Con Bridge, pghe588-14
Characteristics
Design Truss bridge
Total length 1,174 feet (358 m)
Longest span 321 feet (98 m)
Clearance below 48.4 feet (14.8 m)
History
Designer William Glyde Wilkins?
Opened 1887
Designated 2009
Hot Metal Bridge
Location in Pittsburgh

The Hot Metal Bridge is a truss bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that crosses the Monongahela River. The bridge consists of two parallel spans on a single set of piers: the former Monongahela Connecting Railroad Bridge, built in 1887, on the upstream side and the former Hot Metal Bridge, built in 1900, on the downstream side. The Monongahela Connecting Railroad Bridge carried conventional railroad traffic, while the Hot Metal Bridge connected parts of the J&L Steel mill, carrying crucibles of molten iron from the blast furnaces to the open hearth furnaces on the opposite bank to be converted to steel. During World War II 15% of America's steel making capacity crossed over the Hot Metal Bridge, up to 180 tons per hour.[1] The upstream span was converted to road use after a $14.6 million restoration, and opened by Mayor Murphy with a ceremony honoring former steel workers on June 23, 2000.[2] The bridge connects 2nd Avenue at the Pittsburgh Technology Center in South Oakland with Hot Metal Street (South 29th Street) in the South Side. The downstream span reopened for pedestrian and bicycle use in late 2007 after two years of work.

2016 view, after pedestrian and bicycle bridge opened.

The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation was responsible for managing the decorative lighting project for the bridge, which was lit with energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) and optical fiber technology on June 12, 2008.

2006 view, before the pedestrian and bicycle bridge opened

Popular Culture

The Hot Metal Bridge is the namesake of the defunct Hot Metal Grille at the nearby SouthSide Works shopping center and also is the name of the online magazine of the University of Pittsburgh, a literary magazine.[3]

The bridge was in several scenes of the 2011 film Warrior starring Jennifer Morrison and Nick Nolte.

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hot Metal bridge.

References

  1. ↑ http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20000624HotHistory8.asp
  2. ↑ http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20000624hotmetal3.asp
  3. ↑ http://www.hotmetalbridge.org
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