Glenwood Bridge

Coordinates: 40°23′51″N 79°56′08″W / 40.3976°N 79.9355°W / 40.3976; -79.9355
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Glenwood Bridge
Coordinates40°23′51″N 79°56′08″W / 40.3976°N 79.9355°W / 40.3976; -79.9355
Carries4 lanes of PA 885
CrossesMonongahela River
LocalePittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Official nameGlenwood Bridge
Other name(s)pghe590-12
Maintained byAllegheny County
Characteristics
DesignCantilever bridge
Total length2,280 feet (690 m)
Longest span557 feet (170 m)
Clearance below50 feet (15 m)
History
Opened1966
Location
Map
Superstructure
Bridge piers

The Glenwood Bridge is a cantilever bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which carries Pennsylvania Route 885 over the Monongahela River. It started construction on June 3, 1958. It was completed in 1966 to replace an old, decayed, unsafe iron bridge built in 1894, which carried Pittsburgh Railways streetcar tracks and vehicle traffic on a wooden deck.

History[edit]

Glenwood bridge (1894)[edit]

The original bridge was built by the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls[citation needed] and carried trolley tracks between Pittsburgh and Homestead. It was later paved with wood to allow vehicle traffic to share the crossing.[1] Permission was given by the Public Utilities Commission on November 8, 1962, for Pittsburgh Railways to convert trolley routes 55 East Pittsburgh via Homestead and Braddock and 98 Glassport to bus service, as the replacement bridge planned did not incorporate trolley tracks.[2] Trolley service 55 across the bridge ended on July 4, 1964.[3]

South interchange[edit]

At the southern end of the bridge is an expressway-style interchange with Pennsylvania Route 837.[4] This interchange was built for a spur of the canceled "East-West Expressway", which was at the proposal stage when the bridge was built.[5][6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Glenwood Bridge between Pittsburgh and Hays Borough". July 1, 1964. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  2. ^ "Trolley Firm To Put Buses On 2 Routes". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. November 9, 1962. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  3. ^ "Pittsburgh Railways Online - A Trolley Car Tragedy". 18 February 2002. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  4. ^ PennDOT begins more work Monday on interchange south of Glenwood Bridge | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  5. ^ Pittsburgh Highways: East-West Expressway (Cancelled)
  6. ^ BridgeMapper:Glenwood Bridge