P&LE Liberty Boro Bridge
Encyclopedia
The P&LE Liberty Boro Bridge is a girder bridge
across the Youghiogheny River
connecting the Pittsburgh industrial suburbs of Liberty
and McKeesport, Pennsylvania
. In 1968, the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad untook a major construction project in conjunction with the B&O Railroad to clear tracks from Downtown McKeesport. These tracks caused traffic congestion and posed a safety hazard. As a result, both this bridge and the nearby P&LE McKeesport Bridge
were created to direct rail traffic to the west bank of the river, which featured a less confusing street grid.
While its sister structure is a truss bridge
that crosses the river parallel to a highway bridge, the Liberty Boro Bridge appears relatively utilatarian and crosses the river at a nearly diagonal angle. With both the P&LE and B&O having ceased operations, the structure currently serves the Pittsburgh-to-Cumberland, Maryland
CSX Keystone Subdivision
.
Girder bridge
A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...
across the Youghiogheny River
Youghiogheny River
The Youghiogheny River , or the Yough for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...
connecting the Pittsburgh industrial suburbs of Liberty
Liberty, Pennsylvania
Liberty is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania:*Liberty, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania*Liberty, Tioga County, Pennsylvania*Liberty Mountain Resort, a ski area located in Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania...
and McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
. In 1968, the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad untook a major construction project in conjunction with the B&O Railroad to clear tracks from Downtown McKeesport. These tracks caused traffic congestion and posed a safety hazard. As a result, both this bridge and the nearby P&LE McKeesport Bridge
P&LE McKeesport Bridge
The P&LE McKeesport Bridge is a truss bridge across the Youghiogheny River connecting the east and west banks of the Pittsburgh industrial suburb of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. In 1968, the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad untook a major construction project in conjunction with the B&O Railroad to...
were created to direct rail traffic to the west bank of the river, which featured a less confusing street grid.
While its sister structure is a truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
that crosses the river parallel to a highway bridge, the Liberty Boro Bridge appears relatively utilatarian and crosses the river at a nearly diagonal angle. With both the P&LE and B&O having ceased operations, the structure currently serves the Pittsburgh-to-Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
CSX Keystone Subdivision
Keystone Subdivision
The Keystone Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The line runs from Cumberland, Maryland west to McKeesport, Pennsylvania along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line...
.