From south bank of the Allegheny, looking NE, oblique view of roadway and south tower, showing eyebar links for main suspenders and roadway suspenders, as well as main compressive stiffening girders dividing roadway from sidewalks
Plaque on North Shore of the Rachel Carson Bridge.
The bridge and Pittsburgh skyline as seen from the North Shore
Rachel Carson Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Rachel Carson Bridge as seen from the roof of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center | |
| Coordinates | 40°26′48″N79°59′59″W / 40.4467°N 79.9998°W |
| Carries | Ninth Street |
| Official name | Rachel Carson Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Ninth Street Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 840 ft (260 m) (995 ft (303 m) with approaches) |
| Width | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Height | 78 ft (24 m) |
| Longest span | 410 ft (120 m) |
| Clearance below | 40.3 ft (12.3 m) above Emsworth Dam normal pool level (710 ft (220 m) above sea level) |
| History | |
| Opened | November 26, 1926 |
| NRHP reference No. | 86000019 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 1986 |
| Designated PHLF | 1988 [1] |
| Location | |
 | |
The Rachel Carson Bridge, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States.
Contents
Named for the naturalist and author Rachel Carson, a Pittsburgh native, it is one of three parallel bridges called the Three Sisters, the others being the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the Andy Warhol Bridge. The Three Sisters are self-anchored suspension bridges and are significant because they are the only trio of nearly identical bridges—as well as the first self-anchored suspension spans—built in the United States. All three bridges were built by the American Bridge Company. [2]
The total length of the Rachel Carson Bridge is 840 feet (260 m) including the 410-foot (120 m) main span and two 215-foot (66 m) side spans, or 995 feet (303 m) including the approaches. The total width of the deck is 62 feet (19 m), including the 38-foot (12 m) roadway plus two 10-foot (3.0 m) sidewalks outside the compressive plate girder. Whereas the roadway formerly carried two vehicle lanes and two streetcar tracks, it was changed to carry four wide vehicle lanes. The 2019-2020 refurbishment reduced the lanes to three.
