West Penn Railroad Bridge

Photos

Entrance ramp to the bridge

Photo taken by Jason Smith in August 2010

Enlarge

BH Photo #183859

Map

Street View

Description

Built to provide railroad access to Washington's Landing, the bridge has become a signature bridge in Pittsburgh. The elegant double intersection Pratt truss frames a dramatic view of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny River.

-- Historic American Engineering Record

Facts

Overview: Through truss bridge over the Allegheny River Back Channel on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail
Location: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Status: Converted to pedestrian use in 1999
History: Built 1903; converted for pedestrian use in 1999
Railroads: - Penn Central Railroad (PC)
- Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR)
- Rail-to-trail
Design: Skewed Pratt through truss with vertical endposts
Skew angle: 20 degrees
Also called: Three Rivers Heritage Trail - Allegheny River Back Channel Bridge
PRR - Allegheny River Back Channel Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +40.46028, -79.98174 (decimal degrees)
40°27'37" N, 79°58'54" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 17/586332/4479343 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:: Pittsburgh East
Inventory number: BH 42949 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log

December 20, 2016: Updated by Christopher Finigan: Added category "Pin-connected"
March 24, 2012: HAER photos posted by Jason Smith
October 29, 2010: Updated by Jason Smith: Changed the status of the bridge
July 1, 2009: Added by James Baughn

Sources

Bridgemapper.com
Jason Smith - flensburg [dot] bridgehunter [dot] av [at] googlemail [dot] com
HAER PA-443 - West Penn Bridge, Pennsylvania Railroad, spanning Allegheny River, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA
Todd Wilson