The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double-decked

bowstring arch bridge A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward horizontal forces of the arch(es) caused by tension at the arch ends to a foundation are countered by equal tension of its own gravity plus any element of the total deck structure such grea ...

that spans the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-c ...

near its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...

with the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into New York then i ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

. It carries

Interstate 376 Interstate 376 (I-376) is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Pennsylvania, located within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Tu ...

between the Fort Pitt Tunnel and

Downtown Pittsburgh Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose ...

. Opened in June 1959 as a replacement for the Point Bridge, the Fort Pitt Bridge was the world's first computer-designed bowstring arch bridge and double-decked bowstring arch bridge. The bridge is known for its difficult lane changes, especially on the lower level, often requiring people to go from the extreme left lane across two lanes to the extreme right lane in only 300 feet. The upper level is more forgiving for some routes, but still requires a full span lane change in 300 feet to get from the south side entrance to the downtown exits.

History

The $6.305 million Fort Pitt Bridge, designed by George S. Richardson of Richardson, Gordon, & Associates, opened at 11 a.m. on June 19, 1959 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Gov. David L. Lawrence before a caravan, including Mayor Thomas Gallagher and mayoral candidate

Joseph M. Barr Joseph M. Barr (May 28, 1906 – August 26, 1982) was an American politician who held a variety of positions, including an eleven-year tenure as mayor of Pittsburgh from 1959 to 1970. Life Barr was born in Pittsburgh to James P. and Blanche E. ...

, was driven across while a city fireboat gave a hose salute upriver. Its two predecessor bridges, the original Point Bridge (1877–1924) and its replacement of the same name (aka Point Bridge II, 1927–1959), spanned even closer to the aforementioned confluence from West Carson Street (near the

Duquesne Incline The Duquesne Incline () is a funicular located near Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood and scaling Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by Hungarian-American engineer Samuel Diescher, the incline was completed in ...

) to Water St. (now Fort Pitt Blvd.), near the tip of

Point State Park Point State Park (locally known as The Point) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River. Built on land acqu ...

. The Point Bridge closed two days after the opening of the Fort Pitt Bridge, but remained standing until it was dismantled (along with the connected Manchester Bridge) in 1970. Until the opening of the Fort Pitt Tunnels on September 1, 1960, outbound traffic was routed onto West Carson St. (PA 837 North), heading towards the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

. At the time of opening, the bridge contained 8,066 tons of steel, 4,950 tons of structural carbon steel and 1,305 tons of steel reinforcing rods. The contractors included U.S. Steel's American Bridge Co., John F. Casey Co., Dinardo Inc., Fort Pitt Bridge Co., and J.C. Jackanic Inc.

Popular culture

The Fort Pitt Bridge is part of a sequence from '' The Song Remains the Same'' (1976), a documentary of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...

's 1973 tour. Many other Pittsburgh landmarks are also shown, including the Liberty Bridge and its

tunnels A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube const ...

. It also features prominently in the 2012 film '' The Perks of Being a Wallflower''. The bridge also appears in the 1993 film ''

Striking Distance ''Striking Distance'' is a 1993 American action thriller film starring Bruce Willis as Pittsburgh Police homicide detective Thomas Hardy. The film co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, and Tom Sizemore. It was directed by Rowdy Herri ...

'' and the 2011 film ''

Abduction Abduction may refer to: Media Film and television * "Abduction" (''The Outer Limits''), a 2001 television episode * " Abduction" (''Death Note'') a Japanese animation television series * " Abductions" (''Totally Spies!''), a 2002 episode of an ...

''. The early promotional images for ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United State ...

'', used this bridge as a recognizable landmark to show that the game would be partially set in and around Pittsburgh. During the game, the characters use the bridge in the distance as a landmark for their destination out of the city.

References

External links

Fort Pitt Bridge at PGH Bridges.com
* {{Pittsburgh Bridges Bridges in Pittsburgh Bridges over the Monongahela River U.S. Route 22 U.S. Route 30 Bridges completed in 1959 Double-decker bridges Tied arch bridges in the United States Road bridges in Pennsylvania Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey) U.S. Route 19 Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Steel bridges in the United States

History

Popular culture

See also

References

External links