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West Penn Railroad Bridge

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
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Photos 

Entrance ramp to the bridge

Photo taken by Jason Smith in August 2010

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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
Design
Skewed Pratt through truss with vertical endposts
Skew angle
20 degrees
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)
USGS topographic map
Pittsburgh East
Inventory number
BH 42949 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (212)
Built 1903 (285)
Built during 1900s (4,425)
HAER documented (801)
Have street view (12,871)
Open to pedestrians (2,173)
Penn Central Railroad (72)
Pennsylvania (3,163)
 Pennsylvania Railroad (222)
Pratt through truss (3,292)
Pratt truss (5,856)
Rail-to-trail (639)
Skewed (4,110)
Through truss (9,587)
Truss (24,153)
Vertical endposts (21)

Update Log 

  • 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 - JDSmith77 [at] gmx [dot] net
  • HAER PA-443 - West Penn Bridge, Pennsylvania Railroad, spanning Allegheny River, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA
  • Bridgemapper.com - by Todd Wilson and Lauren Winkler

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