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Fort Duquesne Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 40°26′39″N80°00′33″W / 40.4443°N 80.0093°W |
Carries | 8 lanes (4 upper, 4 lower) of ![]() ![]() ![]() Pedestrian Walkway on downriver side of the lower deck |
Crosses | Allegheny River |
Locale | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Official name | Fort Duquesne Bridge |
Other name(s) | The Bridge To Nowhere |
Maintained by | PennDOT, FAJ |
Characteristics | |
Design | Double-decked bowstring arch bridge |
Material | Steel |
Longest span | 130 metres (430 ft) |
Piers in water | 4 |
Clearance below | 14 metres (46 ft) |
History | |
Opened | October 17, 1969 |
Replaces | Manchester Bridge |
Location | |
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The Fort Duquesne Bridge is a steel bowstring arch bridge that spans the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was colloquially referred to as "The Bridge to Nowhere" prior to its completion.
The bridge was constructed from 1958-1963 by PennDOT, and opened for traffic on October 17, 1969, with its predecessor Manchester Bridge (located closer to the tip of Point State Park) closing that same day (it was demolished in the autumn of 1970). The bridge was named "The Bridge to Nowhere" because the main span was finished in 1963, but due to delays in acquiring the right of way for the northern approach ramps, it did not connect on the north side of the Allegheny River. The total cost was budgeted at $5 million in 1962. [1] The lack of approach ramps meant the bridge ended in midair, rendering it useless.
On December 12, 1964, Frederick Williams, a 21-year-old chemistry major at the University of Pittsburgh from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, drove his 1959 Chrysler station wagon through the bridge's wooden barricades, raced off the end of the bridge, and landed upside-down but unhurt on the other side, 190 feet away at the north bank of the Allegheny River. [2] [3] His adventure is documented in WQED-TV's double Mid-Atlantic region Emmy Award-winning documentary "Flying off the Bridge to Nowhere and Other Tales of Pittsburgh Bridges", narrated by Rick Sebak.
Within a few weeks of this near tragedy, an iconic Pittsburgh radio personality, Rege Cordic, distributed commemorative bumper stickers which read "Official Entry, Cordic & Company Bridge Leap Contest." With thousands of vehicles bearing these stickers on Pittsburgh's streets, the city responded by blocking off the end of the bridge with concrete barriers.[ citation needed ]
The northwestern ramps were completed in 1969, allowing access to Pennsylvania Route 65, while the northeastern ramps were completed in 1986, with the construction of the northern section of Interstate 279 (North Shore Expressway) which runs through Downtown Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle and north towards Interstate 79.[ citation needed ] The bridge touches down halfway between Heinz Field and PNC Park Baseball Stadium on the City's North Shore.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike, sometimes shortened to Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road which is operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in Pennsylvania. It runs for 360 miles (580 km) across the southern part of the state, connecting Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and passes through four tunnels as it crosses the Appalachian Mountains. A component of the Interstate Highway System, it is part of Interstate 76 (I-76) between the Ohio state line and Valley Forge. I-70 runs concurrently with I-76 between New Stanton and Breezewood, Interstate 276 (I-276) between Valley Forge and Bristol Township, and I-95 from Bristol Township to the New Jersey state line.
Allegheny County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's second most populous city. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonwealth, and is the center of the Pittsburgh media market.
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