Highland Park Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Highland Park Bridge is a truss bridge
that carries vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River
between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Highland Park
and the suburb of Aspinwall
. It replaced a much narrower 1902 streetcar bridge
that was ill-equipped to handle heavy commuter traffic, as part of the process of suburbanization in the hills northeast of the city.
and Homestead High Level Bridge. Construction of the bridge began on November 6, 1937 and was completed in June 1939. The bridge cost $2.5 million to construct and was opened on June 22, 1939. Two workers were killed during the construction on October 14, 1938 when a 68 ton crane fell from the bridge.
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 Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Highland Park
Highland Park (Pittsburgh)
Highland Park is both a large municipal park and a racially diverse, mostly residential neighborhood in the northeastern part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The neighborhood has 6,749 residents according to the 2000 United States Census...
and the suburb of Aspinwall
Aspinwall, Pennsylvania
Aspinwall is a borough on the Allegheny River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. It is essentially a residential place. In 1900, 1,231 people resided in Aspinwall, and that number rose to 2,592 in 1910, and 3,170 by 1920...
. It replaced a much narrower 1902 streetcar bridge
Highland Park Bridge (1902)
The 1902 Highland Park Bridge was a cantilever through truss that carried two streetcar tracks across the Allegheny River and Sixmile Island between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Highland Park and Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania...
that was ill-equipped to handle heavy commuter traffic, as part of the process of suburbanization in the hills northeast of the city.
History
The bridge was designed by Sidney A. Shubin, chief bridge design engineer of Allegheny County, who also designed the South Tenth Street BridgeSouth Tenth Street Bridge
South Tenth Street Bridge, most often called the Tenth Street Bridge, but officially dubbed the Philip Murray Bridge, is a suspension bridge spanning the Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Homestead High Level Bridge. Construction of the bridge began on November 6, 1937 and was completed in June 1939. The bridge cost $2.5 million to construct and was opened on June 22, 1939. Two workers were killed during the construction on October 14, 1938 when a 68 ton crane fell from the bridge.