OFFICIAL NAME:
OTHER DESIGNATION:
Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge
pghe585-12x3
LOCATION:
Pittsburgh
USGS 7.5" Topo Quad - UTM Coordinates:
Pittsburgh East - Zone 17; 0585 4477
CARRIED:
Pennsylvania Railroad (acquired from Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway)
BETWEEN:
-- near Hope St on right descending bank of Allegheny River
-- near Eleventh St [Washington St] on left descending bank of Allegheny River
CROSSED:
-- Allegheny River at mile 1.0
TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION / DESIGN:
wooden truss
LENGTH OF MAIN SPAN:
TOTAL LENGTH (including longest elevated ramp):
HEIGHT OF DECK:
YEAR ERECTED / ENGINEER:
1857, Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad
ADDITIONAL INFO:
This is the third bridge near this location.
The first two bridges were aqueducts built to carry the Pennsylvania Canal (PA Mainline of Public Works) over the Allegheny River. They aligned with 11th St in the Triangle and Voeghtly St. on the Northside.
As the railroad came to Pittsburgh, it was able to make the canal obsolete. The third bridge, built just downstream from the canal bridge, was a wooden structure built in 1857 for the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad. It completed the rail route from Chicago to Pittsburgh. Service from points west had been available in Allegheny City (Northside) previously, but due to political considerations, the link across the Allegheny River was delayed. The bridge was not opened until a year after its completion.
Heavier traffic required the replacement by a fourth bridge which was a wrought iron lattice truss built completed in 1868.
FIELD CHECKED:
09-Jun-99
INFO SOURCES:
USACE Allegheny River Nav. Charts; National Park Service website, Kobus and Consoli, "The Pennsy in The Steel City" and "The Pennsylvania Railroad's Golden Triangle"
