Historic Bridges of the U.S. | Westinghouse Bridge

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The George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge

This stunning open-spandrel arch bridge features five spans and four huge pylons that make up this majestic memorial to George Westinghouse. It was built to carry the Lincoln Highway over the heavily industrialized, and very congested area, known as Turtle Creek.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The north face

This photo shows Western arch #1, western arch #2 and the center arch. On the far right, the two pylons marking the western portal can be seen. The lower bridge, in the forground, carries E. Pittsburgh McKeesport Blvd. The Westinghouse Bridge actually runs diagonally in a southeastern-northwestern direction.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The south face

All five spans can almost be seen in this photo, taken from the intersection of the Tri-Boro Expressway and Braddock Avenue. The western-most span is obscured by foliage. The pylons marking the east portal can be see on the far right side of the photo. The photo is taken from the location of the battle in the French and Indian War where British General Braddock was defeated in 1755.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The center span

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The south face

This is the western-most span, the second span and center span, partially obscured. Turtle Creek Valley is beyond the span. The long buildings once housed the Westinghouse Electric manufacturing facility. The through truss in the lower left is a railroad span.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Westbound on Hwy 30

The small pylons are the tops of the piers. You can see the joints that connect the spans to the pier. The car is about to cross on to the center span.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The western pylons

The exit ramp to Turtle Creek is just beyond the northwest pylon and easy to miss.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The northwest pylon

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The western portal

The pylons mark the beginning of the first span. The pylon on the right is the northwestern pylon, the other is the northeastern pylon. The inscription on the northeastern pylon reads, "Wherever electricity has flowed, man's existence has been enriched and industry has grown." There is an inscription and sculpture on each pylon.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Deck, looking east

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The east portal

Looking eastbound, off the bridge. The inscription on the southwest pylon reads, "At the entrance to this historic valley the British forces under General Braddock were defeated by the French and Indians from Fort Duquesne 1755." The inscription on the southeast pylon reads, "Here in the Turtle Creek Valley, the steel industry struggled through its infancy and here it has become fundamental to modern civilization."

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard North Portal

This tunnel carries the East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard beneath the eastern approach.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard South Portal

A matching tunnel carries the northbound lanes just to the east of this tunnel.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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All five spans

Getting all five spans in one photograph is difficult to do for lack a good place from which to shoot. The outer-most spans are obscured by foliage.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The eastern pylons

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The northeastern railings

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The northwestern pylon

As seen from the northeastern pylon.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Details of the steel pylon

"In boldness of conception in greatness and in usefulness to mankind this bridge typifies the character and career of George Westinghouse 1846-1914 in whose honor it was dedicated on September 10, 1932"

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Pedestrian walkway, north side

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Pylon caption above the walkway

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Northwest Pylon

Note the bas relief tableau, a different tableau adorns each pylon. The 18' x 10' granite sculptures were created by Frank Vittor. Each tableau represents the historical attributes of Turtle Valley, including the defeat of British General Braddock here in 1755 during the French and Indian War. (On the left side of the photo, you can see the top of the US Steel Thompson works in the valley, the site of the battle.) The other three sculptures represent electricity and Westinghouse's contributions to industry.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The view of Turtle Valley from the bridge

This complex housed the manufacturing operations of Westinghouse Electric Corporation from 1895-1989. At the far end of the valley, just out of sight, is the Greensburg Pike bridge that carried the Lincoln Highway into the valley before this bridge opened.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The exit ramp to Turtle Creek

The ramp is still paved with yellow brick.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Map

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge

Written by J.R. Manning

This gorgeous, open-spandrel arch bridge features five spans and four large pylons that make up this majestic memorial to George Westinghouse. It was built to carry the Lincoln Highway (US 30 in this part of Pennsylvania) over the heavily industrialized and very congested area known as Turtle Creek.

Before the opening of this bridge in 1932, Lincoln Highway traffic was carried on the Greensburg Pike. (See #BH 30251.) The highway crossed Turtle Creek via the Greensburg Pike Bridge and into the congested valley, climbing slowly back up the other side of the valley. The typical journey through the valley took motorists an average of 40 minutes. With the opening of the George Westinghouse Bridge, the trip was shortened to just a few minutes.

This is a very difficult bridge to photograph because of its length and location. The only photos of the entire span that this reporter has seen have been aerial, digitally enhanced, or taken with wide-angle lenses that result in a fish-eye appearance.

In addition, foliage has grown up around both ends, obfuscating the two outside arches.

There are four pylons that mark the portals of this bridge. Each pylon is inscribed with the government officials involved with construction. Each portal has a granite sculpture honoring the historical nature of the valley below the bridge. Each pylon also has a bas relief sculpture of the Allegheny County coat of arms.

This bridge is a stunning memorial to Westinghouse. It is also a stunning design and can be admired from top and bottom.

For another view of this bridge, log on to the MSN Virtual Earth website. If you click on "Bird's Eye View" you'll see aerial views of this bridge and Turtle Valley.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?cp=40.392634%7c-79.835795&style=h&lvl=17&v=1

Facts

Overview: Open-spandrel arch bridge over Turtle Creek on US 30 in East Pittsburgh
Location: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1931; rehabilitated 1983
Design: Open-spandrel arch
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 460.0 ft.
Total length: 1,524.0 ft.
Deck width: 47.9 ft.
Recognition: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 1977
Also called: George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge (official name)
Approximate latitude, longitude: +40.39167, -79.84167 (decimal degrees)
40°23'30" N, 79°50'30" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Inventory numbers: PA 02 0030 0260 0000 (Pennsylvania bridge number)
NRHP 77001120 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 30327 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 12/2004): Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 68.9 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2006): 22,541

Update Log

March 30, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning: Added Bridge to "Lincoln Highway" Category
March 25, 2008: Essay added by J.R. Manning
January 26, 2008: New photo from J.R. Manning

Sources

J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net

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Comments

Westinghouse Bridge

Posted January 26, 2008, by J.R. Manning (thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net)

This stunning open-spandrel arch bridge features five spans and four large pylons that make up this majestic memorial to George Westinghouse. It was built to carry the Lincoln Highway (US 30 in this part of Pennsylvania) over the heavily industrialized and very congested area known as Turtle Creek.

Before the opening of this bridge in 1932, Lincoln Highway traffic was carried on the Greensburg Pike. (See #BH 30251.) The highway crossed Turtle Creek via the Greensburg Pike Bridge and into the congested valley, climbing slowly back up the other side of the valley. The typical journey through the valley took motorists an average of 40 minutes. With the opening of the George Westinghouse Bridge, the trip was shortened to just a few minutes.

This is a very difficult bridge to photograph because of its length and location. The only photos of the entire span that this reporter has seen have been aerial, digitally enhanced, or taken with wide-angle lenses that result in a fish-eye appearance.

In addition, foliage has grown up around both ends, obfuscating the two outside arches.

There are four pylons that mark the portals of this bridge. Each pylon is inscribed with the government officials involved with construction. Each portal has a granite sculpture honoring the historical nature of the valley below the bridge. Each pylon also has a bas relief sculpture of the Allegheny County coat of arms.

This bridge is a stunning memorial to Westinghouse. It is also a stunning design and can be admired from top and bottom.