Roberto Clemente Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River
in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, United States.
Named for the Pittsburgh Pirates
baseball
player Roberto Clemente
, it is one of three parallel bridges called The Three Sisters
, the others being the Rachel Carson Bridge
and the Andy Warhol Bridge
. The Three Sisters are self-anchored suspension bridge
s and are significant because they are the only trio of nearly identical bridges—as well as the first self-anchored suspension spans—built in the United States
.
The Sixth Street Bridge's piers were built with arched openings beneath the river bed in order to accommodate future subway tunnels, following the recommendation of transportation planner Bion J. Arnold
. The North Shore Connector
tunnels under construction in 2009 did not make use of this provision, but were bored further west (downstream) and do not pass beneath the bridge.
The bridge was renamed on August 6, 1998 as part of a compromise after the Pirates sold the naming rights
to PNC Park to locally-based PNC Financial Services
. Before the naming rights were sold, there was hugely popular sentiment in Pittsburgh to name the park itself after Clemente.
It is closed to vehicular traffic on Pirates' and Steelers'
game days, providing a pedestrian route to PNC Park
and Heinz Field
. When PNC Park was built, a statue of Roberto Clemente, originally erected at Three Rivers Stadium
, was placed at the southeast corner of the park, right at the north anchorage of the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
in cooperation with the Riverlife Task Force, the City of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne Light Company, funded and managed the architectural lighting of the bridge. On November 20, 2002, the bridge was lit for the first time.
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...
in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, United States.
Named for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
, it is one of three parallel bridges called The Three Sisters
Three Sisters (Pittsburgh)
A suspension bridge works by hanging a roadway from cables or chains under tension. Though a few unstiffened suspension bridges exist, a longitudinal stiffening truss or girder is usually added to prevent excessive movement of the deck. The cables pass over towers and are anchored at both ends...
, the others being the Rachel Carson Bridge
Rachel Carson Bridge
Rachel Carson Bridge, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Named for the naturalist Rachel Carson, a Pittsburgh native, it is one of three parallel bridges called The Three Sisters, the others being the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the...
and the Andy Warhol Bridge
Andy Warhol Bridge
Andy Warhol Bridge, also known as the Seventh Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is the only bridge in the United States named for a visual artist....
. The Three Sisters are self-anchored suspension bridge
Self-anchored suspension bridge
A self-anchored suspension bridge is a suspension bridge in which the main cables attach to the ends of the deck, rather than to the ground via large anchorages...
s and are significant because they are the only trio of nearly identical bridges—as well as the first self-anchored suspension spans—built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Sixth Street Bridge's piers were built with arched openings beneath the river bed in order to accommodate future subway tunnels, following the recommendation of transportation planner Bion J. Arnold
Bion J. Arnold
thumb|Bion Joseph Arnold is remembered as "father of the third rail", a pioneer in electrical engineering, and an urban mass transportation expert who helped design New York's Interborough Rapid Transit subway system. After the IRT opened in 1904, the subway proved to be more popular than...
. The North Shore Connector
North Shore Connector
The North Shore Connector project is a 1.2 mile tunnel under construction in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is an extension of Pittsburgh's 25-mile subway/light rail system from its current terminus at Gateway Center Station in Downtown to the new North Side Station and Allegheny Station on the...
tunnels under construction in 2009 did not make use of this provision, but were bored further west (downstream) and do not pass beneath the bridge.
The bridge was renamed on August 6, 1998 as part of a compromise after the Pirates sold the naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
to PNC Park to locally-based PNC Financial Services
PNC Financial Services
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is a U.S.-based financial services corporation, with assets of approximately $264.3 billion...
. Before the naming rights were sold, there was hugely popular sentiment in Pittsburgh to name the park itself after Clemente.
It is closed to vehicular traffic on Pirates' and Steelers'
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
game days, providing a pedestrian route to PNC Park
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...
and Heinz Field
Heinz Field
Heinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
. When PNC Park was built, a statue of Roberto Clemente, originally erected at Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
, was placed at the southeast corner of the park, right at the north anchorage of the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 to support the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
in cooperation with the Riverlife Task Force, the City of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne Light Company, funded and managed the architectural lighting of the bridge. On November 20, 2002, the bridge was lit for the first time.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-490-A, "Three Sisters Bridges, Sixth Street Bridge"
- entry at pghbridges.comPghbridges.comPghbridges.com is a reference site created by Bruce S. Cridlebaugh. Formally titled, Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA, pghbridges.com has information on many of the structures of the area...
- entry at BridgeMeister.com