The Manchester Bridge, also known as the North Side Point Bridge, was a steel

Pratt truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

bridge that spanned the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

History

The Manchester Bridge became Pittsburgh's second bridge to span from the Point to the North Side. Its predecessor, the wooden covered Union Bridge, opened in 1874 and was demolished in 1907 after suffering extensive damage from a major flood that same year. The new bridge was constructed from 1911–1915. and was opened by Mayor Joseph G. Armstrong on August 8, 1915. It carried motorists across the Allegheny River for the next 54 years. The bridge closed on October 17, 1969 when its successor, the

Fort Duquesne Bridge The Fort Duquesne Bridge is a steel bowstring arch bridge that spans the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was colloquially referred to as "The Bridge to Nowhere". History The bridge was constructed from 1958-1963 by PennDOT, and ...

(located closer to the

Roberto Clemente Bridge The Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. History First bridge The original bridge at the site was a wooden covered bridge with six spans, ...

) opened that same day as part of the city's

Renaissance I The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

redevelopment project. Efforts were made to save the old Manchester Bridge, but it was determined that it had to be removed (along with the adjoining Point Bridge, defunct since 1959 after the opening of the

Fort Pitt Bridge The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double-decked tied arch bridge, bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries Interstate 376 between the Fort Pitt Tunn ...

) to complete the construction of the new

Point State Park Point State Park (locally known as The Point) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River. Built on land acqu ...

. Explosives were used to drop the south span into the Allegheny River at 18:42 on September 29, 1970. The original attempt 11 hours earlier had been unsuccessful when five of the eight charges failed to detonate. Demolition was subcontracted to Controlled Demolition by

Dravo Corporation Dravo Corporation was a shipbuilding company with shipyards in Pittsburgh and Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded by Frank and Ralph Dravo in Pittsburgh in 1891. The corporation went public in 1936 and in 1998 it was bought out by Carmeuse for $ ...

and was overseen by John D. Loizeaux. Less than a month later on October 28, the north span was brought down the same way, this time with no problems. Sculptor

Charles Keck Charles Keck (September 9, 1875 – April 23, 1951) was an American sculptor from New York City, New York. Early life and education Keck studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York with Philip Martiny, ...

designed four figures for the bridge, representing the historical figures of Native American

Guyasuta Guyasuta (c. 1725–c. 1794; see, Kayahsotaˀ, either "he stands up to the cross" or "he sets up the cross") was an important Native American leader of the Seneca people in the second half of the eighteenth century, playing a central role i ...

and pioneer

Christopher Gist Christopher Gist (1706–1759) was an explorer, surveyor, and frontiersman active in Colonial America. He was one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country (the present-day states of Ohio, eastern Indiana, western Pennsylvania, and nort ...

, and the legendary ironworker

Joe Magarac Joe Magarac () is a pseudo-legendary American folk hero. He is presented to readers as having been the protagonist of tales of oral folklore told by steelworkers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which later spread throughout the industrial areas of ...

and coal miner Jan Volkanik. These reliefs were removed in 1970 and for a time were displayed on the grounds of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. In a move funded by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, the reliefs were moved to a display on Pittsburgh's North Shore in July 2016 and are now placed in a location near to their original site. A structural footing from the bridge still survives on the north bank of the Allegheny River, not far from the south end zone of

Acrisure Stadium Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Pan ...

, and has been cleaned and carved out as the setting for the

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

Memorial Statue.

References

External links

* Bridges completed in 1915 Buildings and structures demolished in 1970 Bridges in Pittsburgh Bridges over the Allegheny River Demolished bridges in the United States Road bridges in Pennsylvania Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania Steel bridges in the United States Pratt truss bridges in the United States 1915 establishments in Pennsylvania 1969 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion {{Pittsburgh-struct-stub

History

See also

References

External links