Jerome Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Jerome Street Bridge, is an arch bridge
across the Youghiogheny River
connecting the east and west banks of the Pittsburgh industrial suburb of McKeesport, Pennsylvania
. It was engineered by George S. Richardson. Originally, an 1880s truss bridge
stood on the site. This structure mainly served streetcar traffic and was inadequate for automobiles. A Great Depression
-era public works bond was provided to fund the creation of a new auto-centric four lane highway bridge.
Despite the structure's name, it does not carry or connect with Jerome Street. Instead, this small road was demolished as part of the bridge's construction. After the city named the street approaching the bridge after incumbent Republican Mayor George Lysle, they proposed that the Youghiogheny crossing receive the same moniker. However, the Franklin Roosevelt administration contended that public works dollars could not be used to memorialize living officeholders. As a result, the Jerome Street designation was chosen, and it remains in place today, although it is sometimes referred to as the Lysle Boulevard Bridge.
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
across the Youghiogheny River
Youghiogheny River
The Youghiogheny River , or the Yough for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...
connecting the east and west banks of the Pittsburgh industrial suburb of McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
. It was engineered by George S. Richardson. Originally, an 1880s truss 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...
stood on the site. This structure mainly served streetcar traffic and was inadequate for automobiles. A Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
-era public works bond was provided to fund the creation of a new auto-centric four lane highway bridge.
Despite the structure's name, it does not carry or connect with Jerome Street. Instead, this small road was demolished as part of the bridge's construction. After the city named the street approaching the bridge after incumbent Republican Mayor George Lysle, they proposed that the Youghiogheny crossing receive the same moniker. However, the Franklin Roosevelt administration contended that public works dollars could not be used to memorialize living officeholders. As a result, the Jerome Street designation was chosen, and it remains in place today, although it is sometimes referred to as the Lysle Boulevard Bridge.