Homestead Grays Bridge
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Carries | Blue Belt Pedestrians and bicycles |
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Crosses | Monongahela River |
Locale | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Homestead, Pennsylvania |
Design | Wichert Truss bridge |
Longest span | 516.3 feet (157.4 m) |
Total length | 3,750 feet (1,143 m) |
Clearance below | 109.3 feet (33.3 m) at mid-span |
Opening date | 1937 |
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The Homestead Grays Bridge, also known as the (Homestead) High Level Bridge, was built in 1936 and spans the Monongahela River between Homestead and Pittsburgh's Greenfield district. It is notable as the first bridge to utilize the Wichert Truss, which uses a quadrilateral shape over each support. This made the truss statically determinate, so that forces in the structural members could be calculated.
On 11 July 2002, the Homestead High-Level Bridge was renamed the Homestead Grays Bridge in honor of the Homestead Grays baseball team.
The bridge is currently in disrepair, and has not seen major work since 1979. Work began in January 2006 to rehabilitate the bridge---the deck will be removed and the structure stripped down to the steel, then the steel will be repaired and a new, wider deck will be put on, giving drivers 3 feet more space on each side and pedestrians slightly wider sidewalk. Finally, historically-accurate railings and lighting will be restored and the bridge will be painted.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Pittsburgh bridges
- "Homestead Grays Bridge work set for March" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- Homestead span honors baseball team — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on the renaming of the Homestead Grays Bridge
- Why was it called the "High-Level" Bridge? — Pittsburgh City Paper column explaining some of the history of the bridge
Bridges of the Monongahela River | |||
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Upstream Pinkerton's Landing Bridge |
Homestead Grays Bridge |
Downstream Glenwood B&O Railroad Bridge |