Liberty Bridge (Pittsburgh)
| Liberty Bridge | |
|---|---|
The arching Liberty bridge (second from foreground) crosses the Monongahela.
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| Coordinates | 40°25′58″N 79°59′48″W / 40.4328°N 79.9967°WCoordinates: 40°25′58″N 79°59′48″W / 40.4328°N 79.9967°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of roadway |
| Crosses | Monongahela River |
| Locale | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Official name | Liberty Bridge |
| Other name(s) | South Hills Bridge |
| Maintained by | Allegheny County |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge |
| Material | steel |
| Total length | 2,663 feet (812 m) |
| Longest span | 2 spans, each 448 feet (137 m) |
| Clearance below | 44.4 feet (13.5 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | March 27, 1928 |
The Liberty Bridge, completed in 1928, connects downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the Liberty Tunnels and the South Hills neighborhoods beyond. It crosses the Monongahela River and intersects Interstate 579 (the Crosstown Boulevard) at its northern terminus.
The Liberty Bridge was constructed as the missing link between downtown Pittsburgh and the Liberty Tunnel, which had been constructed four years earlier in 1924 as a link to the South Hills. The bridge opened on March 27, 1928, following a 5-mile (8.0 km) vehicle parade from the southern suburbs of the city, which crossed the Smithfield Street Bridge and proceeded through downtown before ending at the southern end of the new bridge.
On September 2, 2016 the Liberty Bridge was closed for 24 days, following a fire during construction work on the bridge. Intense heat from burning plastic piping had caused a 30-foot (9.1 m) steel beam (compression chord) to buckle. The bridge reopened to weight-limited traffic on September 26th, and full traffic on September 30th. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation assessed the value of the damages at over $3,000,000.
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