Hyde Park Footbridge
N 40° 37.674 W 079° 35.762
17T E 618739 N 4498399
Pedestrian suspension bridge crossing the Kiskiminetas River, connecting Hyde Park in Westmoreland County with Leechburg in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
Waymark Code: WM16WM
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 02/04/2007
Views: 94
Coordinates Hyde Park Pier: N40 37.674 W79 35.762
Coordinates Leechburg Pier: N40 37.664 W79 35.862
This three spanned pedestrian suspension bridge was built on piers from an old railroad bridge built in 1886. After the destruction of the railroad bridge twice from floods, the piers were abandoned. A wooden foot bridge was built in 1920 and was replaced by the current metal suspension bridge in 1955. Each span is about 150 feet long. The total length of the bridge is about 450 feet. The width of the walkway is 4.5 feet. The cable anchors are buried under the soil and the anchoring method is not visible. There is an excellent article on the bridge from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette in the Webpage below.
We have been on this bridge before. It sways and undulates like all suspension bridges. Today was a bit chilly for bridge walks; it was about 12 º F with a 20 mile an hour wind. While taking photos, the bridge was swaying in the gusts. The thought of jumping up and down on it to get it to undulate in the bitter cold brought visions of nil ductility brittle fractures plunging us into the icy waters of the Kisky. Needless to say we got our photos and left. According to the Post Gazette article, the official name of the bridge is Armstrong County Bridge # 13 but is commonly known as the Hyde Park Bridge.
LINKS:
Bridgemeister.com, “Pennsylvania Suspension Bridges” (Use ctrl F “Hyde” to locate the bridge in this lengthy site):
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visit link)
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, “Here: Between Hyde Park and Leechburg”:
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visit link)