Homestead Grays Bridge
NBI Information
Location
State: Pennsylvania
County: Allegheny County
Feature Carried: Homestead High Level Bridge
Feature Crossed: Monongahela River, Railroad and Local Roads
Latitude, Longitude: 40.4108, -79.9187
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: County Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Open, no restriction
History
Year Built: 1936
Historical Significance: Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Year Reconstructed: 2007
Picture Date: May 27, 2019
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 4
Lanes under Structure: 8
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 10
Main Structure Type: Truss - Deck
Main Structure Material: Steel continuous
Number of Approach Spans: 13
Approach Structure Type: Girder and Floorbeam System
Approach Structure Material: Steel
Condition
Inspection Date: September 2020
Deck Condition: Fair
Superstructure Condition: Satisfactory
Substructure Condition: Satisfactory
Channel Condition: Good
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2023
Bridge Information
The Homestead Grays Bridge in Pittsburg is a rare style of truss called a Wichert Deck Truss. This type of continuous truss is statically determinate, which helps it avoid the shortcomings found in other types of trusses. The defining feature is the hinged kite-shaped section above each of the piers. Only about ten Wichert Truss bridges were ever built, and very few of these remain.
This bridge was built in 1936, when it was called the Pittsburgh-Homestead High Level Bridge. It replaced the previous 1897 truss bridge, and carried four highway lanes and two streetcar tracks.
The bridge was renovated in 1979, but it is not clear what work was done. It was renovated again 2006-2007. This project included steel repairs, deck replacement (with a wider deck), railing and lighting replacement, and steel paining.
The bridge was renamed the Homestead Grays Bridge in 2002 in honor of the Homestead Grays baseball team
References
Historic Bridges: https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=pennsylvania/homesteadhighlevel/
Historic Pittsburg: https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt:MSP285.B009.F34.I01
