Manchester Bridge (Pittsburgh)

Manchester Bridge
Official name North Side Point Bridge
Crosses Allegheny River
Locale Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Design subdivided Pratt through truss
Material steel
Total length 2,840 feet (870 m)
Longest span 2 x 531 feet (162 m)
Clearance below 70 feet (21 m)
Opened 1915
Closed October 17, 1969

The Manchester Bridge was a steel Pratt truss bridge that spanned the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]

History

The bridge was constructed from 1911-1915.[2] and was opened by Mayor Joseph G. Armstrong on August 8, 1915.[3] It was closed to traffic on October 17, 1969 when its successor, the Fort Duquesne Bridge (located closer to the Roberto Clemente Bridge) opened that same day. It was demolished in the autumn of 1970. Explosives were used to drop the south side span into the river at 18:42 on September 29, 1970.[4] The original attempt 11 hours earlier was unsuccessful when five of the eight charges failed to detonate. Demolition was subcontracted to Controlled Demolition by Dravos and was overseen by John. D Loizeaux.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County - Manchester Bridge 1915-1970". December 7, 2000. http://www.pghbridges.com/pittsburghW/0584-4477/manchester.htm. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA,2-PITBU,59-". April 1970. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/PA0064/. Retrieved April 29, 2011. 
  3. ^ "Manchester Bridge Name For New Span". The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh). August 7, 1915. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YMUaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h0kEAAAAIBAJ&dq=manchester%20bridge%20opened&pg=2679%2C1760224. Retrieved May 1, 2011. 
  4. ^ "Manchester Span Blasted Down". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh). September 30, 1970. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sH5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3WwDAAAAIBAJ&dq=manchester%20bridge&pg=3211%2C4590950. Retrieved May 1, 2011. 
Tunnels and bridges in Pittsburgh
Tunnels
Bridges