(
Bridge Hunter;
Historic Bridges; no B&T;
HAER;
pghbridges;
Satellite)
J.R. Manning in BridgeHunter describes the old US-30 route across the valley. It used to take about 40 minutes to cross the valley instead of just a few minutes after this bridge was built.
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| Boston Public Library Flickr via BridgeHunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) |
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Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania Photo via FreightWaves
"On January 8, 1886 Westinghouse founded the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh. The company developed electric infrastructure throughout the nation. The company’s factories manufactured turbines, generators, motors and switch gear for the generation, transmission and use of electricity."
HistoricPittsburgh
"The George Washington Memorial Bridge spans Turtle Creek between East Pittsburgh and North Versailles Township. The 460-foot center span of the bridge was the nation’s longest for a concrete arch at the time. The total length (including the longest elevated ramp) includes five spans totaling 1,598 feet. The bridge, designed by George S. Richardson, was built by the County of Allegheny in 1932 to carry the Lincoln Highway US 30. The bridge was a $1.75 million part of a $4.4 million Lincoln Highway re-routing project. Four pylons at the entrances have 10 foot by 18-foot art deco granite reliefs by Frank Vittor. With a relief of up to eight inches, the chiseled scenes depict the development of the Turtle Creek Valley including the defeat of the British General Braddock by the French and Indians in 1755. An $11.3 million in renovation in 1982-83 included a modified deck with a wider roadway and Jersey barriers. The bridge was reopened in October 1983. Below the bridge stands a former site of the now-dissolved Westinghouse Electric Corporation." |
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Jackson-Township historical preservation posted
Officials estimated 30,000 people gathered along the bridge and nearby hillsides to witness the opening of the engineering marvel, the George Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh, Allegheny County in 1932. |
Upstream Elevation:
Downstream Elevation:
"This bridge was claimed to be the longest concrete arch bridge in the world when completed. Such a claim would have to exclude railroad bridges, since the older
Tunkhannock Viaduct far exceeds the length of this bridge. Regardless, the bridge was and remains among the longest concrete arch bridges in the United States. However, the Westinghouse Bridge's largest central span [460'] does appear to have been the longest concrete arch span in the world when completed." It is about 200' above the valley floor. [HistoricBridges] See HistoricBridges for photos of the four sculptures on the four pylons.
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HAER PA,2-EAPIT,1--11 (CT)
3/4 VIEW FROM WEST. - George Westinghouse Bridge, Spanning Turtle Creek at Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30), East Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA |
The HAER document quotes the Engineering News-Record concerning the construction of the arches: "Steel-truss centering was used in all of the arch spans, so fabricated that it could be made to conform to the intrados of arches of different span lengths and so planned that the two arches at either end of the bridge would be first completed and then all of the centering assembled to support the 460-ft. span." [
pghbridges]
The Westinghouse Plant back in its heyday.
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| 1933 Photo from U of Michigan Lincoln Highway Collection via BridgeHunter |
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𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted
Vintage Aerial!
Westinghouse Bridge, east of Pittsburgh on U.S. Highway 30 |
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| Patrick Boyle commented on the above post |
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🅁🄴🄼🄴🄼🄱🄴🅁 🅆🄷🄴🄽: 🄿🄴🄽🄽🅂🅈🄻🅅🄰🄽🄸🄰 posted
An image of workers on a portion of the George Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh during construction in 1931!
 : ACPD
Bridges Now and Then shared |
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Bob Dranko posted
Westinghouse Bridge |
John Waltz added two photos as comments to the above post.
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Brian Bobby commented on the above post
The beginning of Westinghouse bridge |
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Jackson-Township historical preservation posted
Framework for the George Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, rises above the Turtle Creek Valley in 1931. In the photos if you look closely, perched atop the beams, tiny figures - workers tasked with the hazardous job making the engineers’ designs a reality. Concrete for the structure was delivered by massive buckets carried along cables swaying high above the site. Those beneath the span knew the risks. Railroad companies directly below covered the roofs of their steel sheds with heavy wood planks to withstand the impact of falling objects - timbers, tools or workers who’d made a misstep. The bridge claimed its first victim on Dec. 31, 1931 when laborer Joseph Urban, 28, of McKeesport slipped off a beam and fell more than 200 feet to his death. The bridge was ready for traffic on Sept. 10, 1932. Motorists wanting to be among the first to cross waited in their cars for hours while officials conducted a dedication ceremony on the bridge deck. Politicians climbed on a small stage and droned on, their voices amplified and flung at the masses gathered on the bridge and surrounding hillsides. Newspapers estimated attendance at 30,000. Boy Scouts roamed through the crowd, ready to assist those overcome by the heat. Shortly before 4 p.m., Herman Westinghouse, brother of the famous inventor for whom the bridge was named, sliced a small ribbon and the Turtle Creek Valley echoed with the shrieks of factory whistles celebrating the event. Drivers pressed on their horns, adding to the bedlam. Pittsburgh at the time was accustomed to doing things big. And here’s the proof: The George Westinghouse Bridge was declared the largest structure of its kind in the country. The center arch, 425 feet [130m] long, was then the longest reinforced concrete arch in the country. The bridge is 1,510 feet [460m] long, with the center arch clearing the Pennsylvania railroad tracks by exactly 200 feet [61m]. At this point, an 18-story building could be placed under the span. This is what a publication called the Engineering News-Record had to say: “The George Westinghouse Bridge claims a place in the select company of other great engineering achievements of recent years, such as the Holland Tunnel, the Hudson River Suspension Bridge and the Hoover Dam.” Another end use of the steel. |
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River Rail Photo posted
The Pennsylvanian Anniversary Unit. On Sunday, May 22, 2022, AMTK 46 (P42DC, 50th Anniversary) led Amtrak Train 42 (Pennsylvanian), seen passing under the George Westinghouse Bridge and East Pittsburgh-McKeepsort Blvd in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was Amtrak's first 50th Anniversary unit (out of 7 total). The number 46 was chosen as this unit was originally planned to lead a train for the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. The train this day was lengthened from its usual 7 cars to 9 with the inclusion of 2 private cars, Webb Rail LLC - WEBX's former New York Central Railroad Budd built Pullman obs/diner/sleeper "Babbling Brook" (WEBX 800007) and former New York Central lounge/diner/sleeper "Swift Stream" (RPCX 800460). Full resolution: Ironically, when Webb Rail visited this bridge in March 2021, AMTK 108 was the power (pre-repaint) but the rear of the train was the best angle: |
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Robby Beck posted
EB Turtle Creek Pa area |
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| Comments on Robby's post |
This was the post that motivated the research of this bridge. Given the highway cut in the background, the southwestern tip of the Westinghouse plant is in the foreground and Edgar Thomson is out-of-frame to the right.
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Joe Reed posted
Painting by Pittsburgher John Kane. He created this image of the Westinghouse Bridge in 1932. The Edgar Thomson Works was on the far side of the bridge. On the near side was the Westinghouse Electric East Pittsburgh plant which at one time employed 20,000 workers |
Rust Belt Railroading
posted two photos with the comment: "Union in Railroad 76 crew, the slab train led by colorful Mp15dc trio."
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Rust Belt Railroading posted
Union Railroad 76 crew. Stretching out of ET from the Edgar Thompson Works. |
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