Birmingham Bridge

Last updated

Birmingham Bridge
BirminghamBridgePittsburgh.JPG
Coordinates 40°26′00″N79°58′25″W / 40.4334°N 79.9735°W / 40.4334; -79.9735
Carries6 lanes of roadway
1 pedestrian walkway
Crosses Monongahela River
Locale Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Other name(s)pghe587-22
Maintained by PennDOT
Preceded by Brady Street Bridge
Characteristics
DesignSteel bowstring arch bridge
Total length1,662 feet (507 m)
Longest span607 feet (185 m)
Clearance below 64.8 feet (19.8 m)
History
OpenedSeptember 2, 1977 (1977-09-02) [1]
Replaces Brady Street Bridge
Location
Birmingham Bridge

The Birmingham Bridge (known during construction as the Brady Street Bridge [2] ) is a bowstring arch bridge that is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and spans the Monongahela River.

Contents

It connects East Carson Street on the South Side with Fifth and Forbes Avenues going to Uptown, Oakland, and the Hill District, and was named in honor of the English city of Birmingham and also for the neighborhood it connects to, which was once called Birmingham and is now a part of the South Side.

Many locals also may refer to it by its unofficial name, the 22nd Street Bridge.

History

Stub of a never-built exit ramp Exit Ramp Stub, Birmingham Bridge, Pittsburgh, 2020-01-27, 02.jpg
Stub of a never-built exit ramp
North side Birmingham Bridge jeh.jpg
North side

The Birmingham Bridge was built in 1976. It replaced the South 22nd Street Bridge (aka Brady Street Bridge), which was demolished on May 29, 1978. Six days before the demolition, the Pittsburgh Police, Fire, and EMS responded to a construction worker who had pinned his leg near the top of the span. After attempting unsuccessful rescues, they finally hoisted a surgeon to the site and were forced to amputate on-site to save the worker's life.

After the Brady Street Bridge came down, railings from its remains were rescued by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and utilized in the construction of the Station Square station. [3]

The Birmingham Bridge is notable for the dead-end lanes that were originally to be part of a city belt system. The project was canceled, and the bridge was rerouted. [4] A pedestrian walkway runs along the downstream side of the bridge, ending at steps at the south abutment of the bridge.

On April 2, 2007, large sections of the bridge were shut down for repair. The repair project was expected to finish on November 1, 2007. While the project did not complete on time, by late November, all barricades had been removed, and all lanes were again open. [5] During the bridge rehabilitation, bike lanes were added along the outer sides of both the northbound and southbound traffic lanes.

On February 8, 2008, the bridge was closed for inspection after a motorist called 911 when the deck dropped several inches. PennDOT indicated that one of the rockers that support bridge beams slipped and "feels it is in the best interest of the traveling public to close the outbound lanes at this time and conduct a thorough inspection to ensure the integrity of the structure. In the early morning hours of Monday, March 3, 2008, the southbound deck reopened to serve traffic in both directions, cars, and buses only. On September 8, 2008, the northbound deck was fully reopened, and northbound traffic was relocated. The inner lane of the southbound deck remained closed, and southbound trucks were still barred from the span.

It was initially called the Brady Street Bridge during construction, but in March 1977 [6] the Pennsylvania General Assembly renamed it the Birmingham Bridge at the behest of State Senator James A. Romanelli. [2]

In the media

In the TV show Fringe , the Birmingham Bridge collapsed in September 2007 from an unknown cause.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 79</span> Interstate Highway in Pennsylvania and West Virginia

Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia, north to Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfare through western Pennsylvania and West Virginia and makes up part of an important corridor to Buffalo, New York, and the Canada–United States border. Major metropolitan areas connected by I-79 include Charleston and Morgantown in West Virginia and Greater Pittsburgh and Erie in Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 579</span> Highway in Pennsylvania

Interstate 579 (I-579) is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The highway is 2.73 miles (4.39 km) long. I-579 is also known as the Crosstown Boulevard since it crosses the backside of Downtown Pittsburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield Street Bridge</span> Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 28</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 28 is a major state highway, which runs for 98 miles (158 km) from Anderson Street in Pittsburgh to U.S. Route 219 (US 219) in Brockway in Pennsylvania in the United States.

The Mon–Fayette Expressway is a partially-completed controlled-access toll road that is planned to eventually link Interstate 68 near Morgantown, West Virginia with Interstate 376 near Monroeville, Pennsylvania. The ultimate goal of the highway is to provide a high speed north–south connection between Morgantown and the eastern side of Pittsburgh while revitalizing economically distressed Monongahela River Valley towns in Fayette and Washington counties, serving as an alternative to Interstate 79 to the west, as well as relieving the PA 51 alignment from Pittsburgh to Uniontown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Bridge (Pittsburgh)</span> Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Liberty Bridge, which was completed in 1928, connects downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the Liberty Tunnels and the South Hills neighborhoods beyond. It crosses the Monongahela River and intersects Interstate 579 at its northern terminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Tenth Street Bridge</span> Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The South Tenth Street Bridge, most often called the Tenth Street Bridge, but officially dubbed the Philip Murray Bridge, is a suspension bridge that spans the Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Metal Bridge</span> Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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 in ladle transfer cars 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. The upstream span was converted to road use after a $14.6 million restoration, and opened by Mayor Tom Murphy with a ceremony honoring former steel workers on June 23, 2000. The bridge connects 2nd Avenue at the Pittsburgh Technology Center in South Oakland with Hot Metal Street in the South Side. The downstream span reopened for pedestrian and bicycle use in late 2007 after two years of work. The Great Allegheny Passage hiker/biker trail passes over this bridge as it approaches Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypress Street Viaduct</span> Interchange in California

The Cypress Street Viaduct, often referred to as the Cypress Structure or the Cypress Freeway, was a 1.6-mile-long (2.5 km), raised two-deck, multi-lane freeway constructed of reinforced concrete that was originally part of the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rankin Bridge</span> Bridge in Pennsylvania and Rankin, Pennsylvania

The George Rankin Jr. Memorial Bridge is a cantilever bridge that carries the Green Belt across the Monongahela River between Whitaker and Rankin in Pennsylvania in the USA. It carries four lanes of automobile traffic, plus pedestrian walkways, both paved with concrete. The bridge carries over 22,500 people per day. The bridge and many of its approach ramps were originally built with tram tracks, all of which have since been removed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Carson Bridge</span> Bridge

The Rachel Carson Bridge, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neville Island Bridge</span> Bridge in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

The Neville Island Bridge is a tied arch bridge which carries Interstate 79 and the Yellow Belt across the Ohio River and over Neville Island, west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania</span> Section of Interstate Highway in United States

Interstate 95 (I-95) is a major north–south Interstate Highway that runs along the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida, north to the Canada–United States border at Houlton, Maine. In the state of Pennsylvania, it runs 51.00 miles (82.08 km) from the Delaware state line near Marcus Hook in Delaware County in the southeastern part of the state northeast to the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge at the New Jersey state line near Bristol in Bucks County, closely paralleling the New Jersey state line for its entire length through Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulevard of the Allies</span> Major road in Pittsburgh, US

The Boulevard of the Allies is a mostly four-lane road in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, connecting Downtown Pittsburgh with the Oakland neighborhood of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 885</span> State highway in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 885 is a 14.1-mile-long (22.69 km) north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It runs from Pennsylvania Route 837 in Clairton north to Interstate 579 in Pittsburgh. The route is entirely within Allegheny County and serves as a connector between the city of Pittsburgh and its southern suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brady Street Bridge</span> Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Brady Street Bridge, also known as the South 22nd Street Bridge, was a steel bowstring arch bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which crossed over the Monongahela River at South 22nd Street. Its main span was a tied arch with a suspended road deck, with two through-truss side spans, carrying two traffic lanes between Brady Street on the Pittsburgh side and South 22nd Street on the south side. Approach viaducts were built at either end. The bridge was built by the Schultz Bridge and Iron Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 202 in Pennsylvania</span> US Highway in Pennsylvania

U.S. Route 202 is a US Highway running from New Castle, Delaware, northeast to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the route runs for 59 miles (95 km), from the Delaware state line in Bethel Township, Delaware County, to the New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge over the Delaware River in Solebury Township, where the route crosses into New Jersey. The highway runs through the western and northern suburbs of Philadelphia in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area, and serves as a toll-free bypass around the city, avoiding the busy traffic and congestion on Interstate 95 (I-95). It is signed north–south and follows a general southwest–northeast direction through the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl E. Stotz Memorial Little League Bridge</span> Bridge in Pennsylvania, United States

The Carl E. Stotz Memorial Little League Bridge, formerly known as the Market Street Bridge, carries approximately 27,700 vehicles a day on U.S. Route 15 over the West Branch Susquehanna River between Williamsport and South Williamsport in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the seventh bridge on the site and was built at a cost of over $60,000,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleming Park Bridge</span> Bridge in Pennsylvania and Stowe Township, Pennsylvania

The Fleming Park Bridge is a through truss bridge which spans the back channel of the Ohio River, between Neville Island and Stowe Township, PA. Although the Ohio River's back channel is only 590 feet wide, roughly 660 feet of this newer bridge was erected over water due to the unique 65-degree angle of the structure's trajectory.

References

  1. "Birmingham Bridge opening". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 16, 1977.
  2. 1 2 Grata, Joe (March 2, 2008). "Getting Around: Birmingham Bridge linked to controversy since opening". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .
  3. "Brady Street Bridge blowup". 11 July 2014.
  4. "Pittsburgh Highways: Oakland Crosstown Freeway (Cancelled)".
  5. "[ permanent dead link ]." PennDOT Projects - April 2007 Retrieved June 1, 2007.
  6. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article of 30 Mar 1977 reporting new name