Philip Murray Bridge

The Phillip Murray Bridge, which is more commonly called the South Tenth Street Bridge or the 10th Street Bridge, is the only cable suspension bridge over the three big rivers in Pittsburgh. It was built from 1931 to 1933 on the narrowest point on the Monongahela River’s course through Pittsburgh. It was renamed after Phillip Murray, the first president of the United Steelworkers of America, in 2007.

This bridge is the third bridge at this location. The first bridges was a wooden covered lattice truss bridge that was built in 1859. It was originally a private toll bridge, but the City of Pittsburgh purchased the bridge in 1896 and removed the toll. By the early 1900’s, this bridge was in poor condition, and it was demolished in 1902. The new bridge was a five-span metal Pratt Truss, and it was completed in 1904. In 1928, a bond was issued to fund a variety if public works. This bridge was included, because it was considered to be unsafe for heavy vehicles despite it’s young age. The bridge was demolished in 1931 and the current bridge was constructed.

The bridge underwent a rehabilitation and dehumidification project from 2017 to 2019. Dehumidification is a relatively new technology in North America, and it involves blowing dry air through the main cables to reduce the relative humidity. This helps to inhibit the development of corrosion. This rehabilitation included dehumidifying the main cables and anchorages. It also included main cable elastomeric wrap installation, anchorage vault roof reconstruction, roadway and sidewalk reconstruction, concrete repairs, expansion dam replacement, main deck asphalt and waterproofing membrane replacement, and other miscellaneous rehabilitation items.