The Mon–Fayette Expressway Bridge, officially known as the PFC. Ronald C. "Smokey" Bakewell Bridge, is a high-level,
girder bridge
A girder bridge is a bridge that uses girders as the means of supporting its deck. The two most common types of modern steel girder bridges are plate and box.
The term "girder" is often used interchangeably with "beam" in reference to bridge de ...
that carries vehicular traffic across the
Monongahela River between
Luzerne Township in
Fayette County, Pennsylvania and
Centerville in
Washington County, Pennsylvania
Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington.
Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The county i ...
.
History and notable features
The bridge was opened on July 6, 2012 and completed the southern section of Pennsylvania Route 43, more commonly known as the
Mon–Fayette Expressway. Motorists can now travel via freeway for fifty-eight miles (93 km) between
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The largest city in North-Central West Virginia, Morgantown is best known as th ...
and the
Pittsburgh suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of
Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania. The cost of the bridge project was $96 million.
The total length of the bridge is 3,022 feet; 51,000 cubic yards of concrete were used to create the structure.
In 2013, the Pennsylvania Legislature voted to name the bridge for Private First Class Ronald C. "Smokey" Bakewell, a local serviceman who was killed during the
Vietnam War.
Bakewell lived within a half of a mile of where the bridge stands today. He was a member of Charlie Troop, First Battalion, Fifth Regiment, of the First Air Cavalry.
See also
*
List of crossings of the Monongahela River
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mon-Fayette Expressway Bridge
Bridges over the Monongahela River
Road bridges in Pennsylvania
Concrete bridges in the United States
Girder bridges in the United States
Bridges in Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Bridges in Washington County, Pennsylvania