OFFICIAL NAME:
OTHER DESIGNATION:
Brown's Bridge
Homestead and Highland Bridge
pghe591-17x
LOCATION:
Pittsburgh (North Homestead / Highland Station) - Homestead
USGS 7.5" Topo Quad - UTM Coordinates:
Pittsburgh East - Zone 17; 0591 4474
CARRIED:
motor vehicles, two lanes
street railway
BETWEEN:
-- Brown's Hill Rd [Salt Works Rd or Saline Av], Pittsburgh, on right descending bank of Monongahela River
-- Second Av between Ann St and Amity St, Homestead, on left descending bank of Monongahela River
CROSSED:
-- (RDB to LDB) B&O RR [Pgh and Connellsville RR]; Second Av [Braddock's Field Plank Rd]; Monongahela River at mile 7.5; RR; First Av, Homestead
TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION / DESIGN:
through truss
LENGTH OF MAIN SPAN:
TOTAL LENGTH (including longest elevated ramp):
5 spans
HEIGHT OF DECK:
YEAR ERECTED / ENGINEER:
1897
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Predecessor to the 1936 Homestead High Level Bridge.
Old grade of roadway leading to the Pittsburgh entrance remains.
Highlands Station of the B&O RR once stood close to the end of Salt Works Rd. The salt works were near the outlet of Nine Mile Run.
In 1950, Duquesne Slag built a wharf and loading dock on the Monongahela River at Nine Mile Run. It seems this construction removed any obvious remains of the former bridge. The slag, a waste by-product of the steel-making process, had been delivered to the Brown's Dump in the Nine Mile Run valley by rail. Once the wharf was constructed, the slag was transported by barge and truck. Between 1922 and 1972, about 17 million cubic yards of slag were deposited, nearly filling the entire valley.
Early in Pittsburgh's history and into the 1920s, the Nine Mile Run valley had been seen as an excellent site for parks and recreation. The top of the slag pile has been transformed into Summerset at Frick Park with nearly 700 new homes on 550 acres. The development allowed nearly 100 acres to Frick Park also. In the valley, Nine Mile Run was "daylighted" -- restored to a free-flowing stream open to the air. It is now largest free-flowing stream in the city of Pittsburgh. A $7.7 million restoration included replanting of a natural habitat allowing the reintroduction of three species of game fish to the stream. The restored area includes trails and bike paths, but the slag piles still converge to restrict easy access to and from the Monongahela River.
FIELD CHECKED:
INFO SOURCES:
USACE Monongahela River Nav. Charts; 1904 Hopkins Map; cited website
