Smithfield Street Bridge

Last updated

Smithfield Street Bridge
Smithfield Bridge (9378991793).jpg
Smithfield Street Bridge
Coordinates 40°26′5″N80°0′8″W / 40.43472°N 80.00222°W / 40.43472; -80.00222
Carries4 lanes of roadway
2 pedestrian walkways
Crosses Monongahela River
Locale Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Characteristics
DesignLenticular truss bridge
Total length1,184 feet (361 m)
Longest span2 spans, 360 feet (110 m) each
Clearance below 42.5 feet (13.0 m)
History
OpenedMarch 19, 1883
Smithfield Street Bridge
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Architect Gustav Lindenthal
Architectural styleRomanesque, Pauli truss
NRHP reference No. 74001745 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 21, 1974
Designated NHLMay 11, 1976 [2]
Designated CPHSFebruary 22, 1977 [3]
Designated PHLF1970 [4]
Location
Smithfield Street Bridge

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

Contents

The bridge was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the engineer who later designed the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. The Smithfield Street Bridge was built between 1881 and 1883, opening for traffic on March 19, 1883.[ citation needed ] It was widened in 1889 and widened again in 1911. The bridge has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, a National Historic Landmark, and has a Historic Landmark Plaque from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.

History

The present bridge is the third bridge at the site. It remains the second oldest steel bridge in the United States.[ citation needed ] In 1818, a wooden bridge was built across the Monongahela by Louis Wernwag at the cost of $102,000. This bridge was destroyed in Pittsburgh's Great Fire of 1845. The second bridge on the site was a wire rope suspension bridge built by John A. Roebling. Increases in bridge traffic and river traffic eventually made the lightly built bridge with eight short spans inadequate. The Lindenthal bridge was built in its place, using the Roebling bridge's stone masonry piers.

The Smithfield Street Bridge is the penultimate of the many bridges that span the Monongahela before the river joins with the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River at Downtown Pittsburgh. Only the Fort Pitt Bridge is farther downstream.

The bridge also served the Pittsburgh Railways streetcar system with lines coming from the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel and from Carson Street, crossing the bridge and continuing into downtown along Grant Street and Smithfield Street, returning to the bridge via Wood Street or Grant Street. The tracks occupied the eastern half of the bridge. The streetcar line was abandoned in July 1985, when the streetcars were diverted to the Panhandle Bridge and the new light rail subway, on July 7. [5] The last day of streetcar service on downtown Pittsburgh streets and over the Smithfield Street Bridge was July 6, 1985, although the final crossing of the bridge by a streetcar did not take place until 1:40 a.m. on July 7. [6] The former streetcar right-of-way was converted into a paved roadway for northbound traffic.

The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1974. Two years later, on May 11, 1976, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. [2]

The bridge's short clearance from the river and its deteriorated condition convinced PennDOT officials to demolish and replace it with a modern bridge. Officials considered lobbying by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation on preserving the bridge. In 1994–1995 the bridge was rehabilitated with a new deck, a colorful paint scheme, and architectural lighting. The abandoned rail lines became an extra traffic lane, and a light-controlled bus lane was added during peak traffic hours. [7] The bridge also has the distinction of being the bridge most heavily walked by pedestrians, mostly commuters who park at Station Square.

The bridge connects Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh with Station Square.

The bridge is featured in the 1993 Bruce Willis film Striking Distance , the opening scene of the 1983 film Flashdance and the 2010 rap video Black and Yellow .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Roebling</span> German-American engineer (1806–1869)

John Augustus Roebling was a German-born American civil engineer. He designed and built wire rope suspension bridges, in particular the Brooklyn Bridge, which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge</span> Suspension bridge between the Ohio River

The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge that spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. When opened on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,057 feet (322 m) main span, which was later overtaken by John A. Roebling's most famous design of the 1883 Brooklyn Bridge at 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m). Pedestrians use the bridge to get between the hotels, bars, restaurants, and parking lots in Northern Kentucky. The bar and restaurant district at the foot of the bridge on the Kentucky side is known as Roebling Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorne Bridge</span> Bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon

The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, joining Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States and the oldest highway bridge in Portland. It is also the busiest bicycle bridge in Oregon, with over 8,000 cyclists and 800 TriMet buses daily. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav Lindenthal</span> American civil engineer

Gustav Lindenthal was a civil engineer who designed the Queensboro and Hell Gate bridges in New York City, among other bridges. Lindenthal's work was greatly affected by his pursuit for perfection and his love of art. Having received little formal education and no degree in civil engineering, Lindenthal based his work on his prior experience and techniques used by other engineers of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Clemente Bridge</span> Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

The Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monongahela Incline</span> Funicular in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Monongahela Incline is a funicular on the South Side in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, near the Smithfield Street Bridge. Designed and built by Prussian-born engineer John Endres in 1870, it is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the U.S.

<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">Panhandle Bridge</span> Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Panhandle Bridge carries the three lines of the Port Authority Light Rail Network across the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The name comes from Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, also known as the Panhandle Route, which operated over the bridge.

<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">Detroit–Superior Bridge</span> Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio

The Detroit–Superior Bridge or Detroit–Superior High Level Bridge is a 3,112-foot-long (949 m) through arch bridge over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. The bridge links Detroit Avenue on Cleveland's west side and Superior Avenue on Cleveland's east side, terminating west of Public Square. Construction by the King Bridge Company began in 1914 and completed in 1918, at a cost of $5.4 million. It was the first fixed high level bridge in Cleveland, and the third high-level bridge above the Cuyahoga. At the time of its completion, the bridge was the largest steel and concrete reinforced bridge in the world.

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

The West End Bridge is a steel tied-arch bridge over the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) below the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. It connects the West End to the Chateau neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh.

<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">Andy Warhol Bridge</span> Bridge over the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh

Andy Warhol Bridge, also known as the Seventh Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh. It is the only bridge in the United States named for a visual artist. It was opened at a cost of $1.5 million on June 17, 1926, in a ceremony attended by 2,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Pittsburgh</span> Transportation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

A large metropolitan area that is surrounded by rivers and hills, Pittsburgh has an infrastructure system that has been built out over the years to include roads, tunnels, bridges, railroads, inclines, bike paths, and stairways; however, the hills and rivers still form many barriers to transportation within the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Light Rail</span> Light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh Light Rail is a 26.2-mile (42.2 km) light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and surrounding suburbs. It operates as a deep-level subway in Downtown Pittsburgh, but runs mostly at-grade in the suburbs south of the city. The system is largely linear in a north-south direction, with one terminus near Pittsburgh's central business district and two termini in the South Hills. The system is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit. The T is one of the surviving first-generation streetcar systems in North America, with the oldest portions of the network dating back to 1903 and the Pittsburgh Railways. It is also one of only three light rail systems in the United States that continues to use the broad 5 ft 2+12 in Pennsylvania Trolley Gauge on its lines instead of the 4 ft 8+12 instandard gauge. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,417,100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortland Street Drawbridge</span> American bridge

The Cortland Street Drawbridge over the Chicago River is the original Chicago-style fixed-trunnion bascule bridge, designed by John Ericson and Edward Wilmann. When it opened in 1902, on Chicago's north side, it was the first such bridge built in the United States. The bridge was a major advance in American movable bridge engineering, and was the prototype for over 50 additional bridges in Chicago alone. The bridge was designated as an ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark in 1981, and a Chicago Landmark in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Washington Transit Tunnel</span>

Mount Washington Transit Tunnel is an important public transportation link in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The 3,492-foot (1,064 m) tunnel connects Station Square to South Hills Junction, and is used only by Pittsburgh Light Rail cars and buses of the Port Authority of Allegheny County. The tunnel changes 204.54 feet in elevation from its north portal at 750.36 feet above sea level to its south portal at 954.90 feet above sea level, resulting in a grade of 5.86%. With the elimination of bus service in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel in 2019, the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel is the only tunnel in the United States shared by bus and rail services.

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

The Point Bridge was a steel cantilever truss bridge that spanned the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Pennsylvania" (PDF). National Park Service. p. 5. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  3. "Local Historic Designations". Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  4. Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  5. Grata, Joe (July 7, 1985). "PennDot ponders future use of Smithfield Street Bridge". The Pittsburgh Press. p. A9.
  6. Sellin, M.V. and Morgan, S.J. (May 1986). "Pittsburgh light rail progress". Modern Tramway and Light Rail Transit , p. 164. UK: Ian Allan Publishing.
  7. Carquinez Associates, U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980 Archived 2005-11-11 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Smithfield Street Bridge | Historic Pittsburgh". historicpittsburgh.org. Retrieved October 30, 2017.