Brownsville Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Brownsville Bridge, also known as the Intercounty Bridge, is a truss bridge
that carries vehicular traffic across the Monongahela River
between Brownsville, Pennsylvania
and West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
. The bridge was completed in 1914 to replace an 1831 wooden structure that was ill suited for the vehicular traffic that the National Road
was beginning to carry. The famous federal route has crossed the river at this point since its inception, with ferry service in the early Nineteenth Century. In 1960, the Lane Bane Bridge
was constructed just upstream and U.S. Route 40
was moved to the new high level structure. Currently, the route serves local traffic and is meant to tie together the interconnected towns on each bank.
It is designated as a historic bridge by the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation
.
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
that carries vehicular traffic across the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
between Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, officially founded in 1785 located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River...
and West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
West Brownsville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,075 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Brownsville is located at ....
. The bridge was completed in 1914 to replace an 1831 wooden structure that was ill suited for the vehicular traffic that the National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
was beginning to carry. The famous federal route has crossed the river at this point since its inception, with ferry service in the early Nineteenth Century. In 1960, the Lane Bane Bridge
Lane Bane Bridge
The Lane Bane Bridge is a truss bridge that carries vehicular traffic across the Monongahela River between Brownsville, Pennsylvania and West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. The high level bridge was constructed in 1960 and was originally deigned to be part of the Mon-Fayette Expressway...
was constructed just upstream and U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
was moved to the new high level structure. Currently, the route serves local traffic and is meant to tie together the interconnected towns on each bank.
It is designated as a historic bridge by the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation
Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation
Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation is a non-profit educational institution in Washington, Pennsylvania. Its purpose is to encourage and assist the preservation of historic structures in Washington County, Pennsylvania...
.