The steel superstructure is constructed of riveted plate girders. The three main spans are open spandrel 3-hinged arches having 4 ribs. All metal parts of the bridge are painted light blue.
The center hinge of each arch is hidden behind a cartouche measuring approximately 15 ft high by 15 ft wide decorated with what appears to be the seals of Allegheny County and Pennsylvania. These cartouches, six in number and painted black, are not visible from the bridge. They are also difficult to see from shore and are best viewed from the river.
The approach spans are a series of simple spans using 4 stringers each. The 1939 modifications made for grade separation involved opening a section of the south abutment and adding 5 stringers to support the deck. This allows 2 northbound lanes of PA28 to bypass the intersection with the bridge. A rusticated stone retaining wall was also added to allowing the widening of PA28 and support Feilbach St.
The concrete bents bearing the approach spans have 4 columns with arches under the cap.
The arch abutment piers which stand on each shore rise some 30 feet higher than the deck. On the outside surface are mounted large copper letters including the date which contradicts the opening date and the crossing anniversary date:
WASHINGTON
CROSSING
1923
At each side of the center arch, the tops of the piers provide a widened section of sidewalk which act a viewing platforms, each about 28 ft in length.
The ballustrade which runs the length of the bridge includes metal reliefs of the Great Seal of each of the 13 original United States plus the County of Allegheny. Each measures approximately 2 ft wide by 3 ft high. They appear in the following order (north to south): Allegheny County, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia. This order is roughly the same order as the states appear in the map from north to south, with Allegheny County providing a divider to restart the series. The series repeats just over 10 times per side with a total of 290 seals on the bridge. Photos
There was a design competition but the sculptor's name is unknown. The models were created by John Donnelly and Company, New York City; the castings were made by the Michaels Art Bronze Company, Covington, KY. The railing is painted light blue, but the seals were painted in full color by volunteers under the guidance of Stan Hubenstein of Shaler, PA, in 1976. (A Post-Gazette source refers to "Stan Hubstenberger of Shaler.")
Jersey barriers separate the traffic lanes from the sidewalk. There is a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Survey Control Mark on the jersey barrier at the southeast corner of the bridge. Also notch and paint benchmarks are located on two corners of the stone entrance walls, one at each end of the bridge.
Stencil lettering outside of the first north approach span reads:
5+72
8-82
This may indicate the date (August 1982) of the current 3-lane concrete deck surface, jersey barriers, and lane control signals. Original lighting fixtures were attached to poles mounted outside the railings; the mounts are still visible. Cyclone fences line both sides of the north approach spans above the railroad.
As representatives of the colony of Virginia, Washington and Gist were returning from a meeting the the French General St. Pierre near Erie, PA in the winter of 1753. They arrived at the Allegheny near Sharpsburg to find the river only partially frozen over and not passible on foot. After spending the night camped on the north (downstream right) bank, they built a raft and attempted the crossing at sunset. Impeded by ice, Washington was soon thrown into the freezing river and forced to make for a nearby island, Wainwright's or Garrison. The island has since become part of the south (downstream left) shore. The Washington Crossing Bridge was opened on the 171st anniversary of the event, December 29,1924. A 1923 newspaper article describes Washington and Gist crossing the river.
The Delaware Indian village Shannapin's Town was located at 40th St between Butler St and the river. A State Historical Commision sign stands at the south entrance to the bridge. The sign reads:
Also mounted on the wall below the southwest obelisk, a plaque reads:
| SHANNOPIN TOWN
Name of a Delaware Indian village that
covered this site from about 1731 to the
French occupation, 1754. It was the
Allgheny River terminus of the Raystown Indian
and Traders Path from Carlisle to the west. |
A wooden covered bridge previously crossed at 43rd St (Ewalt St) from 43rd St Station to Millvale Station. At that time, 43rd Street was a major street of Lawrenceville. Now it appears as a very narrow residential street.
view page - Washington Crossing Bridge -- 40th Street over the Allegheny River (HAER PA-447), Dr. David S. Rotenstein, et al, 1997 / Pennsylvania Historic Bridges Recording Project - I.
FIELD CHECKED:
15-Jun-1999
INFO SOURCES:
USACE Allegheny River Nav. Charts; Kobus and Consoli, "The Pennsy in The Steel City," Gay and Evert: "Discovering Pittsburgh's Sculpture"
