The George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge
This stunning open-spandrel arch bridge features five spans and four huge pylons that make up this majestic memorial to George Westinghouse. It was built to carry the Lincoln Highway over the heavily industrialized, and very congested area, known as Turtle Creek.
Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007
BH Photo #109673
This gorgeous, open-spandrel arch bridge features five spans and four large pylons that make up this majestic memorial to George Westinghouse. It was built to carry the Lincoln Highway (US 30 in this part of Pennsylvania) over the heavily industrialized and very congested area known as Turtle Creek.
Before the opening of this bridge in 1932, Lincoln Highway traffic was carried on the Greensburg Pike. (See #BH 30251.) The highway crossed Turtle Creek via the Greensburg Pike Bridge and into the congested valley, climbing slowly back up the other side of the valley. The typical journey through the valley took motorists an average of 40 minutes. With the opening of the George Westinghouse Bridge, the trip was shortened to just a few minutes.
This is a very difficult bridge to photograph because of its length and location. The only photos of the entire span that this reporter has seen have been aerial, digitally enhanced, or taken with wide-angle lenses that result in a fish-eye appearance.
In addition, foliage has grown up around both ends, obfuscating the two outside arches.
There are four pylons that mark the portals of this bridge. Each pylon is inscribed with the government officials involved with construction. Each portal has a granite sculpture honoring the historical nature of the valley below the bridge. Each pylon also has a bas relief sculpture of the Allegheny County coat of arms.
This bridge is a stunning memorial to Westinghouse. It is also a stunning design and can be admired from top and bottom.
For another view of this bridge, log on to the MSN Virtual Earth website. If you click on "Bird's Eye View" you'll see aerial views of this bridge and Turtle Valley.
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?cp=40.392634%7c-79.835795&...
This stunning open-spandrel arch bridge features five spans and four large pylons that make up this majestic memorial to George Westinghouse. It was built to carry the Lincoln Highway (US 30 in this part of Pennsylvania) over the heavily industrialized and very congested area known as Turtle Creek.
Before the opening of this bridge in 1932, Lincoln Highway traffic was carried on the Greensburg Pike. (See #BH 30251.) The highway crossed Turtle Creek via the Greensburg Pike Bridge and into the congested valley, climbing slowly back up the other side of the valley. The typical journey through the valley took motorists an average of 40 minutes. With the opening of the George Westinghouse Bridge, the trip was shortened to just a few minutes.
This is a very difficult bridge to photograph because of its length and location. The only photos of the entire span that this reporter has seen have been aerial, digitally enhanced, or taken with wide-angle lenses that result in a fish-eye appearance.
In addition, foliage has grown up around both ends, obfuscating the two outside arches.
There are four pylons that mark the portals of this bridge. Each pylon is inscribed with the government officials involved with construction. Each portal has a granite sculpture honoring the historical nature of the valley below the bridge. Each pylon also has a bas relief sculpture of the Allegheny County coat of arms.
This bridge is a stunning memorial to Westinghouse. It is also a stunning design and can be admired from top and bottom.