Swinburne Bridge

Information and Findings From Pennsylvania's Historic Bridge Inventory

Discussion of Bridge

The skewed, 12 span, 586'-long bridge built in 1915 consists of 6 thru and 6 deck girder spans supported on concrete abutments and built up steel bent towers. In 1989 deck and railings were replaced with safety shape barriers and a concrete with a cantilevered sidewalk finished with a cnain link fence enclosure. Girder bridges are one of the most common bridge types in the state, first developed by the railroad industry in the mid 19th century, and they were used in numbers on Allegheny County highways beginning in the late 19th century. This bridge has innovative or distinctive details. It does not have a historically significant association with the B&O RR main line, one of the features it crosses. The bridge was built by the city as a replacement to a previous bridge over the ravine. The bridge is not historically or technologically distinguished by its setting or context.

Discussion of Surrounding Area

The bridge carries a 2 lane street and 1 sidewalk over a city street, a residential neighborhood, and 2 active CSXT railroad tracks in the Lower Greenfield section of Pittsburgh. The bridge spans between two undistinguished working class neighborhoods, Greenfield and Oakland. The railroad is the former main line of the B&O railroad. The north approach span of the viaduct passes under 02 0376 0034 0000, a bridge on the Penn-Lincoln Parkway East.

Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: No