Homestead Grays Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Homestead Grays Bridge, also known as the (Homestead) High Level Bridge, was built in 1936 and spans the Monongahela River
between Homestead Borough
and the southernmost tip of Pittsburgh
's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. It is notable as the first bridge to utilize the Wichert Truss, which uses a quadrilateral shape over each support. This made the truss statically determinate, so that forces in the structural members could be calculated.
On July 11, 2002, the Homestead High-Level Bridge was renamed the Homestead Grays Bridge in honor of the Homestead Grays
baseball team.
The bridge had grown dilapidated since its last renovation in 1979. In 2006 and 2007 work was undertaken to rehabilitate the bridge: the deck was removed and the structure stripped down to the steel, then the steel structure repaired and a new, wider deck put on. The new deck is six feet wider in traffic lanes—three feet on each side—and also has broader pedestrian walkways. The railings and lighting were replaced with reproductions of historic models, and the entire structure received a new coat of blue-grey paint.
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
between Homestead Borough
Homestead, Pennsylvania
Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the "Mon Valley," southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an important event in the history of labor relations in the United...
and the southernmost tip of Pittsburgh
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...
's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. It is notable as the first bridge to utilize the Wichert Truss, which uses a quadrilateral shape over each support. This made the truss statically determinate, so that forces in the structural members could be calculated.
History
The bridge was dedicated on Saturday November 12, 1937, having cost the county of Allegheny $2,750,000 to build and originally carried four highway lanes and two streetcar tracks of Pittsburgh Railways Company. It replaced the 1897 Brown's Bridge (Homestead and Highland Bridge) which was upstream and had linked Brown's Hill Rd on the north bank and Second Avenue between Ann Street and Amity Street, Homestead on the south bank.On July 11, 2002, the Homestead High-Level Bridge was renamed the Homestead Grays Bridge in honor of the Homestead Grays
Homestead Grays
The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...
baseball team.
The bridge had grown dilapidated since its last renovation in 1979. In 2006 and 2007 work was undertaken to rehabilitate the bridge: the deck was removed and the structure stripped down to the steel, then the steel structure repaired and a new, wider deck put on. The new deck is six feet wider in traffic lanes—three feet on each side—and also has broader pedestrian walkways. The railings and lighting were replaced with reproductions of historic models, and the entire structure received a new coat of blue-grey paint.
External links
- Pittsburgh bridges
- "Homestead Grays Bridge work set for March" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- Homestead span honors baseball team — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on the renaming of the Homestead Grays Bridge
- Why was it called the "High-Level" Bridge? — Pittsburgh City Paper column explaining some of the history of the bridge
- Homestead Grays bridge to gain 18 plaques honoring Negro League Greats
- Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County "Homestead High-Level Bridge" — PAHighways.com article on the Homestead Grays Bridge