River Road Ramp Bridge

Information and Findings From Pennsylvania's Historic Bridge Inventory

Discussion of Bridge

The ca. 1949, skewed, single span, built up thru girder bridge is supported on concrete abutments. The bridge has built up floorbeams and a concrete deck. The bridge is an example of a common type with no innovative or distinguishing detail. Girder bridges were first developed by the railroad industry in the 1850s, and they were used on vehicular roadways in Allegheny County beginning in the late 19th century. Neither the bridge nor its setting and context are historically or technologically noteworthy.

Discussion of Surrounding Area

The bridge carries a 2 lane road and 2 sidewalks over a single active railroad track just west of the 5th Avenue Bridge, a tied arch bridge spanning the Youghiogheny River. The rail line was originally built by the Three Rivers Railroad, a subsidiary of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie RR that served the steel mills of the Monongahela Valley. US Steel's former McKeesport Tubes Works lies just east, across the river. The SHPO has determined the P&LE's main line as an NR-eligible resource, although no period of significance has been determined. However, the thru girder bridge was built in 1949, when the American railroad industry was in decline, and the grade crossing bridge was driven by a highway improvement project rather than as a means to increase railroad efficiency. For these reasons, the bridge does not appear to be potentially significant in association with the P&LE.

Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: No