South Tenth Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
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
. The bridge was renamed on Labor Day
2007 for Philip Murray
, the first president of the United Steelworkers of America and a giant of the 20th century American labor movement.
The bridge connects South Tenth Street in the South Side to Second Avenue and the Armstrong Tunnel
in the Bluff
. A staircase leads from the northern terminus of the bridge to the campus of Duquesne University
.
Artist Tim Kaulen painted a series of black animal figures variously described as dinosaurs, ducks or geese at the top of the south tower. Each hand-painted figure is about six feet tall and may be plainly seen from the north shore of the Mon River.
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
spanning 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...
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...
. The bridge was renamed on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
2007 for Philip Murray
Philip Murray
Philip Murray was a Scottish born steelworker and an American labor leader. He was the first president of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee , the first president of the United Steelworkers of America , and the longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations .-Early...
, the first president of the United Steelworkers of America and a giant of the 20th century American labor movement.
The bridge connects South Tenth Street in the South Side to Second Avenue and the Armstrong Tunnel
Armstrong Tunnel
The Armstrong Tunnel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, connects Second Avenue at the South Tenth Street Bridge, under the Bluff where Duquesne University is located, to Forbes Avenue between Boyd Street and Chatham Square.-Construction:...
in the Bluff
Bluff (Pittsburgh)
The Bluff or Uptown is a neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the southeast of the city's Central Business District. It is bordered in the north by the Hill District and just a short trip across the Monongahela River is the city's South Side, which is home to a flourishing...
. A staircase leads from the northern terminus of the bridge to the campus of Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
.
In popular culture
- The bridge is featured in the game Fallout 3Fallout 3Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
's second add-on packageFallout 3 expansionsThere are five expansion packs for the Bethesda action role-playing game Fallout 3. Each expansion adds new missions, new locales to visit, and new items for the player to make use of. Bethesda's Todd Howard first confirmed during E3 2008 that downloadable content would be prepared for the Xbox 360...
, The Pitt, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh. The bridge is covered in land mines and vehicles, and must be crossed to enter the main city.
- On June 12, 2006 Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe 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...
quarterback Ben RoethlisbergerBen RoethlisbergerBenjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
was thrown from his motorcycle, struck by a car that was making a Pittsburgh LeftPittsburgh LeftThe Pittsburgh left is a colloquial term for the driving practice of the first left-turning vehicle taking precedence over vehicles going straight through an intersection, associated with the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. The practice is also referred to as a Boston left...
at the bridge's north portal.
External links
- 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
- Nate Guidry (2007). Philip Murray Bridge Dedication: story by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- Tim Kaulen Art. Kaulen-Art.com.