GAP = Great Allegheny Passage
This bridge is also known as the Riverton Bridge, the Union Railroad Bridge and the Mckeesport Connecting Bridge. pghbridges has the date of 1890, whereas Bridge Hunter claims 1891. (Update: Brian G's comment indicates the builders plaque has 1891, so I changed the date in the title.)
I'm not researching every big railroad bridge I see. For example, I didn't do the Arthur Kill Bridge until I learned it has the longest lift span in the USA. But this truss bridge is special for a couple of reasons. One is that it was converted to a trail bridge in 2007. [Wikipedia] (Bridge Hunter implies it became part of the trail in 2008.) It is part of a trail system that connects Pittsburgh with Washington D.C. The second reason is that it is yet another RR bridge over the Monongahela River that connects two steel making facilities. In this case it connects the US Steel Duquesne Works with its Dorothy blast furnace to the National Tube Works in McKeesport. It also connected the Pennsy on the south (McKeesport) bank with the B&O on the north bank. [pghbridges]
This bridge is also known as the Riverton Bridge, the Union Railroad Bridge and the Mckeesport Connecting Bridge. pghbridges has the date of 1890, whereas Bridge Hunter claims 1891. (Update: Brian G's comment indicates the builders plaque has 1891, so I changed the date in the title.)
I'm not researching every big railroad bridge I see. For example, I didn't do the Arthur Kill Bridge until I learned it has the longest lift span in the USA. But this truss bridge is special for a couple of reasons. One is that it was converted to a trail bridge in 2007. [Wikipedia] (Bridge Hunter implies it became part of the trail in 2008.) It is part of a trail system that connects Pittsburgh with Washington D.C. The second reason is that it is yet another RR bridge over the Monongahela River that connects two steel making facilities. In this case it connects the US Steel Duquesne Works with its Dorothy blast furnace to the National Tube Works in McKeesport. It also connected the Pennsy on the south (McKeesport) bank with the B&O on the north bank. [pghbridges]
 |
Joseph Flickr, License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)McKeesport Connecting Railroad Bridge
|
This photo shows the 1890s technologies of cut stone piers and pin-connected tie bars.
 |
| A Paul Wiegman Photo via SteelValleyTrail via Bridge Hunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike (CC BY-SA) The bridge, now part of the trail, provided the rail connection between the National Tube Works at McKeesport and the USS Dorothy Six blast furnace of the Duquesne Works |
 |
| Steven J Raith posted Union Railroad crossing the McKeesport Transfer Bridge on June 28, 1997. Originally built by the PRR, the Union acquired trackage right over the bridge in 1965 and outright purchased it in 1976. US Steel donated the bridge to the local rails to trails and today you can walk (or bike) over it. Ian Bowling Steven J Raith do you remember when the last train ran across this bridge? I remember in the early 2000’s that me and my dad saw one going across it at night. That was the last and only time I seen one go across this bridge. Steven J Raith I want to say around 2006 or 2007? not 100% sure. Ian Bowling Steven J Raith okay that’s about the time I can remember seeing it. I would’ve loved to catch it in the daytime. Awesome photo!! [If Steven's dates are correct, then the bridge was converted to trail use within a year or two of the last train running on it.] |
 |
| M'ke Helbing shared Former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad bridge over the Monongahela River from Homestead toward Carrie Furnace PA |
 |
| Jacob H. Ford Photography posted This afternoon while capturing some shots of the old roundhouse in McKeesport, I took a little walk on the stretch of the GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) Trail, up to the Riverton Bridge, which spans from McKeesport to Duquesne. This bridge was once used by the Pennsylvania Union Railroad (a division of U.S. Steel) to transport hot ingots from Duquesne Works to the National Tube Works in McKeesport. I had never walked out onto this bridge, but it's been on my radar for a little while, and early this afternoon presented the perfect opportunity to explore this area. I knew as soon as I got to this spot that it would be perfect for some black and white compositions, and this was a shot I took while on the middle of the bridge, and one side read "Duquesne", from the McKeesport side, and one side read "McKeesport" from the Duquesne side. I was standing on the McKeesport side to take this shot, and what caught my attention was the incredible symmetry with the shadows, which allowed for a striking contrast. I have several more images from this afternoon that I'll be sharing, but I'll post just a few more this evening, and save the rest for tomorrow and later throughout next week. Enjoy! Photo taken: February 22, 2025 #mckeesportpa #monongahelariver #youghioghenyriver #monvalley #youghioghenyvalley #alleghenycountypa #visitpa #canonrebelt6 Etsy Store —-> https://jhfordphotography.etsy.com Website —-> https://www.jacobhfordphotography.com/ Jacob H. Ford Photography: @followers this photo is now available for purchase as a print in my Etsy store! Here’s the link below: |
 |
| Metrotrails posted Rail bridge on Great Allegheny Passage over Monongahela River, Duquesne PA Mike Helbing shared |
 |
| Metrotrails posted Great Allegheny Passage across the Monongahela River into McKeesport PA. M'ke Helbing shared |
 |
| J.B. Rail Photo shared GT Rail Fan Productions 8/26/2021 - CSX P001 strolls through McKeesport PA rounding through the classic Bridge in town over the Youghiogheny River! This is one my favorite photos of all time. YouTube Video Link of the CSX OCS Chase: |
InterestingPennsylvania has more photos from and of the bridge. It appears the bridge owners think that it will take rust a long time to reduce the strength of a railroad bridge to be less than that of a trail bridge because the bridge looks rather rusty.
 |
| Adam Piscitelli posted The Riverton bridge spanning the Monongahela River carried ingots from the Duquesne Works to the National Tube Works of McKeesport to be rolled into pipe. It was built in 1891 by the Pencoyd Iron Works of PA and used by the Union RR. In 2007 it was repurposed and is now a part of the GreatAlleghenyPassage bike trail. [I don't know where he got the name "Riverton." A name I have seen for this bridge is "McKeesport Connecting Railroad Bridge."] |
Dave Kuntz posted four photos with the comment: "The McKeesport Connecting Railroad Bridge in McKeesport PA, now part of the GAP trail. It is a super scenic way to cross the Mon River and crosses abandoned tracks the north end."
Brandon Peck: This bridge was prr built then later on union railroad took over it
 |
| 1 [The bridge in the background is the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge.] |
 |
| 2 |
 |
| 3 |
 |
| 4 [The roundhouse in the foreground was the McKeesport Connecting Railroad Roundhouse.] |
Dave Kuntz posted four photos with the comment: "The McKeesport Connecting Railroad Bridge in McKeesport, PA. The railroad formally ended in 2021 although the bridge was converted to a rail trail much earlier. You can see some abandoned tracks which were also part of the railroad under the north end (final picture)."
John Friedmann: Despite the name, it is a former PRR bridge sold to the Union RE as a footnote to the Final System Plan
 |
| 1 |
 |
| 2 |
 |
| 3 |
 |
| 4 |
Builder's plaque on the bridge states a construction date of 1891.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. I have changed the title from 1890 to 1891.
Delete