National Register of Historic Places

Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge

Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Listed
August 12, 1979
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79002160

About this property

The Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge, listed as the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge on the National Register of Historic Places, is a double-deck steel truss railroad bridge spanning the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The upper deck carries the Fort Wayne Line with two tracks of Norfolk Southern and Amtrak traffic. The lower deck is unused. The bridge crosses 40 feet (12 m) above the Allegheny and its longest span is 319 feet (97 m). The bridge was built between 1901 and 1904 by American Bridge Company on new piers immediately next to the 1868 bridge it replaced while the old bridge remained in use. The 1868 bridge was a five-span wrought-iron lattice truss built for the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway with two simple plate girder spans as approach roads at each end. In 1918 the bridge and associated approaches were raised (as were other neighboring bridges) to increase navigable headroom. The lower level was used by local freight trains switching in the Downtown area and the Strip District. Its tracks were removed in the 1980s as part of a major track and platform realignment through Pennsylvania Station.

Location

11th St.
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
40.44702, -79.99557

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Byrnes & Kiefer Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Penn-Liberty Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.2 mi
Ninth Street Bridge
Industrial
0.2 mi
Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.3 mi
Rotunda of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Fort Pitt (Pontiac's War) 1763
1763Colonial
0.4 mi
Pontiac's War – Siege of Fort Pitt 1763
1763Colonial
0.4 mi
Forbes Expedition to Fort Duquesne
1758Colonial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge listed on the National Register?

Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 12, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge?

Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge?

The period of significance for Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge?

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