Saturday, August 12, 2017

1932,1991 West End Bridge in Pittsburgh, PA

(Bridge HunterHistoric Bridges; pghbridges; HAERB&TSatellite (95+ photos))

"It was the second in the world to utilize tied-arch technology on a large scale and the first to utilize high-strength silicon steel. It included a stiffening truss concentric with the arch itself, with the floor structure suspended from wire cable hangers which were subjected to pre-tensioning so that the floor structure would not sag under anticipated loads." It took two years to build and cost $3.64m. [B&T]

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The towboat was actively fleeting barges while we were there.
 
Street View

Street View

Significance: After two decades of agitation by the local business community, the West End-North Side Bridge was completed in 1932 by the American Bridge Company under contract to Allegheny County, The main span is a graceful, 778-foot long, tied-arch structure which employed pre-stressed hangers between the twin arches and the bottom chords. This bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for the engineering and aesthetic qualities of the main span. Approaches to the high level main span are by three pony trusses on the south and four pony trusses on the north.
[HAER-data] 
 
HAER PA,2-PITBU.V,3--35
35. CONSTRUCTION OF THE MAIN SPAN, LOOKING WEST - West End-North Side Bridge, Spanning Ohio River, approximately 1 mile downstream from confluence of Monongahela & Allegheny rivers, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA

HAER PA,2-PITBU.V,3--36
36. CONSTRUCTION OF THE MAIN SPAN, LOOKING WEST - West End-North Side Bridge, Spanning Ohio River, approximately 1 mile downstream from confluence of Monongahela & Allegheny rivers, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA

1 of 4 photos posted by Bridges & tunnels
Early morning fog and haze surround the West End Bridge, an impressive steel-through arch that carries US Route 19 over the Ohio River between the West End and North Side in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The atmospheric conditions looked eerie similar to the smog that once enveloped the region, although the air is considerably cleaner today.
➤ Check out more photos and a history of the West End Bridge at 
http://bridgestunnels.com/location/west-end-bridge/
 
Robby Beck posted
NG-1 (newell-Gateway) passing under Pittsburgh West End bridge

Ben Ruszkoski: Great pic. 2819 was the only U boat that got P&LE on the nose.

Heinz History Center posted
August 1941: The West End Bridge was designed by George S. Richardson and built by Allegheny County in 1932. The bridge is 1,891 feet in overall length. From north to south, there are four Warren Pony trusses and the main span that has a 778-foot tied arch. When it was built, the vertical clearance was 73 feet, and today it is 66 feet. The bridge connects the North Side and the West End neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
Today's #throwbackthursday image is from the Allegheny Conference on Community Development Photographs, Detre Library & Archives at the History Center.



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