Fort Pitt Bridge - Pittsburgh, PA - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

County of bridge: Allegheny County
Location of bridge: caries I-376 / US 22 / US 30 / US 19 Truck, over the Monongahela River, Pittsburgh
Built: 1959
Design Engineer: George S. Richardson
Type: Double-decked Steel Bowstring Arch bridge

"Famous as the "best way to enter an American city," motorists travelling from the West on I-279 are given no visual cues regarding their nearness to downtown Pittsburgh as they enter the Fort Pitt Tunnels. Emerging from the portal, the Golden Triangle suddenly bursts into view framed by the yellow crossbracing of the bridge's arch." ~ pghbridges.com

"The Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnels were instrumental in linking the city with the growing suburbs south and west of the city. The Parkway West section of the Penn-Lincoln Parkway now extended all the way from downtown Pittsburgh to the airport in Moon Township and on to Beaver Falls.

"This was another of the major transportation upgrades in the 1950s that made Pittsburgh a more easily accessible area for the suburban commuter. The Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel project's contributions to the development of the outer reaches of the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area rival those of the Liberty Bridge and Tunnels in the 1920s.

"Designed by engineer George S. Richardson, the Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double decker bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River. Construction began in 1956 and the bridge opened for traffic on June 19, 1959. The new gateway to the City of Pittsburgh was one of the cornerstones of a modernization effort proposed by famed planner, Robert Moses, in 1939 known as the "Moses Plan".

"The span opened fifteen months before the accompanying Fort Pitt Tunnels were completed. Travelers heading west had to exit onto Carson Street and head to the West End Bypass in order to connect with the Parkway West. The bridge carries over 150,000 vehicles per day.

"The Fort Pitt Bridge replaced the old Point Bridge, which was built in 1927. For a decade after the opening of the new bridge, the Point Bridge stood unused until it's demolishion in 1970.

"The Fort Pitt Bridge offramps connect to the Penn-Lincoln Parkway, the Boulevard of the Allies and Liberty Avenue. A fourth ramp is coupled with the Fort Pitt Bridge's sister span, the Fort Duquesne Bridge, that spans the Allegheny River. Together, the two golden arches, with Point State Park nestled in between, dramatically redrew the landscape near the confluence of the three rivers. The official color of the bridges is Aztec Gold." ~ The Brookline Connection