right
The Washington Crossing Bridge, commonly known as the Fortieth Street Bridge, is an
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
that carries vehicular traffic across 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 ...
between the
Pittsburgh
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 ...
neighborhood of
Lawrenceville and the suburb of
Millvale.
History
Erected between 1919 and late 1924, and officially opened on December 29, 1924, the Washington Crossing Bridge was originally built to accommodate two lanes of traffic and one streetcar line. Its estimated cost upon completion was $2,344,000.
A 1982 re-decking allowed for the creation of a reversible third automobile lane.
The bridge received its name because it is located at a historically significant site pertaining to
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
's military career.
[Bridge Opening Today Honors Memory of Washington, Surveyor-President]
" Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: ''The Pittsburgh Post'', December 29, 1924, p. 16 (subscription required). In 1753, then-Major Washington was dispatched to give French forces an ultimatum to negotiate for the return of the lands that today make up Western Pennsylvania to the British or to prepare for a military strike. Crossing the Allegheny on a wooden raft, Washington was nearly killed when his vessel overturned at this site.
See also
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List of crossings of the Allegheny River
This is a list of current bridges and other crossings of the Allegheny River starting from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it joins the Monongahela to form the Ohio River.
Crossings
Pennsylvania
New York
Pennsylvania
See also
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References
External links
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{{Pittsburgh Bridges
Bridges over the Allegheny River
Bridges in Pittsburgh
Bridges completed in 1924
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania
Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks
National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh
Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States
Steel bridges in the United States
Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh)