Coraopolis Bridges over Back Channel (Ohio River) at Neville Island

1893: ("The previous structure, constructed in 1893 to carry a trolley line, was situated on a slight skew from the present bridge alignment. It consisted of three 224' camelback truss spans and five truss and girder spans, varying from 49' to 82' long." [HAER-data])

1927, spans were built in 1892: (Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; HAER)

1995: (pghbridges; Satellite) 

The other road bridge to the island is Fleming Park, which is near the other end of the island.

The 6th Street Bridge was one of the bridges that the Secretary of War declared was a navigation hazard. It was too low for steamboats with their smokestacks folded down during some parts of the year. The 1892 bowstring truss bridge, which was designed by Theodore Cooper, still had a lot of life left in it. So the county moved those truss spans 12 miles down the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers to this location in 1927 to make way for today's suspension bridge at 6th Street. 

HAER PA,2-CORA,1--2, cropped
2. West elevation, showing entire structure: Pennsylvania truss main spans and pony truss approach spans - Coraopolis Bridge, Spanning Ohio River back channel at Ferree Street & Grand Avenue, Coraopolis, Allegheny County, PA

HAER PA,2-CORA,1--1
1. Distant view from southwest, showing environment

HAER PA,2-CORA,1--7
7. East elevation, oblique view from southeast

The Coraopolis Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 1986. The bridge derives historic significance from its age, its unique history at two different sites, and from its association with a nationally significant engineer, Theodore Cooper. Constructed in 1892, the through truss spans reflect an early largescale application of steel in the fabrication of heavy truss bridges. The 1927 relocation provides an excellent case study in the versatility of the metal truss bridge, exemplifying the adaptability of this structure type, a feature which was highly touted by advocates of this design in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The through truss bridge has been identified as the only surviving structure entirely designed by Theodore Cooper (1839-1919), who achieved a national reputation for railroad and highway bridge design.

[HAER-data, this source includes a biography of Theodore Cooper. I recognize the name because he was the engineer responsible for the Quebec Bridge that collapsed during construction.]

The spans were jacked down 18' in 15" increments. It took 14 hours to lower a span. In order to fit under a couple of bridges that were on the route, they had to remove some of the top cords. Since the removal of those cords removed the strength of the truss, four barges were used to provide support under each of its sixteen panels in a truss. At the new location, the spans were jacked up 32'. The move cost $316,000 and took 140 days. The total cost was $800,000. Moving the spans was estimated to save $300,000. At the time of replacement in 1995, the bridge had a weight limit of 3 tons and was closed when the temperature was below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. [HAER-data, p13-17]

Randy McCrory posted, cropped
Some posted recently about a bridge being moved from Pittsburgh to Neville Island. Here is an image of the bridge being moved.

The 1995 bridge is a UCEB (Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge), so Bridge Hunter doesn't have a post about it. But the 1927 post does include this photo of the replacement so that I can determine the label should be "GirderSteel" instead of "GirderConcrete."

Photo by Todd Wilson via BridgeHunter