Mon City Bridge 1910 - Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA

1930 photo

More detail photos

OFFICIAL NAME:

OTHER DESIGNATION:
Monongahela City Bridge
mono591-6x

LOCATION:
Monongahela, Washington Co. - Forward Twp., Allegheny Co.

USGS 7.5" Topo Quad - UTM Coordinates:
Monongahela - Zone 17; 0591 4450

CARRIED:
motor vehicles

BETWEEN:
-- Bunola River Rd (Forward Twp., Allegheny Co.) on right descending bank of Monongahela River
-- Stewart St [Parkinson St] (Monongahela City, Washington Co.) on left descending bank of Monongahela River

CROSSED:
-- (RDB to LDB) CSX [PLE RR]; Monongahela River at mile 33.2

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION / DESIGN:
3 Pratt through trusses

LENGTH OF MAIN SPAN:

TOTAL LENGTH (including longest elevated ramp):

HEIGHT OF DECK:

YEAR ERECTED / ENGINEER:
1910
Fort Pitt Bridge Works, Pittsburgh
W.P. Rothrock, Engineer of Erection

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Photos and drawings indicate when the Williamsport Bridge was rebuilt after a fire in 1884, its replacement was a four span metal through truss. The 1884 bridge was built on the same piers as its predecessor. This bridge was, in turn, replaced in 1910 by an entirely new metal through truss of three spans which crossed about 500 feet downstream until 1988.

The available history was unclear regarding the bridges that have crossed the Monongahela River in this area. The 1902 Fowler drawing and a c1907 photo show four though spans crossing the river, while the 1928 photo and later USACE drawing show only three. This was a major clue in determining that there had been four bridges in three locations which had over time crossed at Mon City. A panoramic postcard sent by W.P. Rothrock fixed the date of this bridge at 1910. In the background of the 1910 photo, the 1884 replacement truss structure is shown upstream in the distance.

This bridge was aligned with Stewart St, which in turn is aligned with Parkinson St. Parkison's Ferry crossed the river near this point. (Most sources spell the name Parkison; others Parkinson.) The Williamsport Bridge replaced Parkison's Ferry in 1836, but that bridge was constructed several hundred feet upstream near the outflow of Pigeon Creek. This three span bridge was built near the original location of the ferry.

On the right descending bank of the Monongahela River, the concrete abutment and bearing plates of this bridge may be found at the base of Riverhill Rd at Bunola River Rd. A few commercial buildings cluster around the former street which connected to the bridge.

FIELD CHECKED:
03-June-2000

INFO SOURCES:
USACE Monongahela River Nav. Charts; Jay W. Mohney, Mon River Buffs

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Introduction -- Nearby Structures

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Last modified: 29-Apr-2002

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