The David McCullough Bridge, commonly and historically known as the 16th Street Bridge, is a steel trussed

through arch bridge A through arch bridge, also known as a through-type arch bridge, is a bridge that is made from materials such as steel or reinforced concrete, in which the base of an arch structure is below the deck but the top rises above it. It can either be lo ...

that spans the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The 16th Street Bridge replaced the Mechanics Street Bridge, completed at the behest of the State of Pennsylvania in 1838. The 16th Street Bridge was constructed in 1922 with a length of and a width of . The bridge was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979. The 16th Street Bridge connects the Strip District with the North Shore near Deutschtown. Days after the disastrous St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1936, reports spread on March 20 that the bridge had collapsed from the pressure of the receding flood waters and debris, prompting

Pittsburgh Police Chief The Pittsburgh Police Chief is an American law enforcement official who serves as the head of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, appointed by the Mayor of Pittsburgh. The Chief is a civilian administrator, and was historically referred to as the P ...

Jacob Dorsey to close all city bridges for fear of receding waters and debris weakening or collapsing them. However, the reports were soon discovered to be false. On July 7, 2013, the structure was named in honor of historian, author, and commentator

David McCullough David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United S ...

, a Pittsburgh native, in a bridge ceremony sponsored by

Heinz History Center The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest history museum in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. Named after U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III (1938–1991) from Pennsylvania, it i ...

. File:DavidMcCulloughBridge.jpg, View from above File:16thst from lawrenceville.jpg, View from 31st Street Bridge with downtown in the background and Heinz Loft on the north bank File:16th st from the strip.jpg, View from Strip District

References

External links

16th Street Bridge
at pghbridges.com
Post-Gazette feature
{{NRHP bridges

McCullough McCullough is an Irish and Scottish surname, with two distinct Gaelic origins: * ''Mac Cú Uladh'' which means 'son of Cú Uladh' ('Hound of Ulster'). * ''Mac Cullaich'' 'son of Cullach' ('boar'), usually rendered McCulloch Derivation from the I ...

Bridges over the Allegheny River Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Bridges completed in 1923 Through arch bridges in the United States Towers in Pennsylvania Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh 1923 establishments in Pennsylvania

See also

References

External links