Greenfield Bridge

Greenfield Bridge
Coordinates 40°25′42″N 79°56′17″W / 40.4282°N 79.9380°W / 40.4282; -79.9380Coordinates: 40°25′42″N 79°56′17″W / 40.4282°N 79.9380°W / 40.4282; -79.9380
Official name Beechwood Boulevard Bridge
Characteristics
Material Concrete
Total length 466' total length
Width 36'7" roadway and sidewalks
History
Architect Stanley L. Roush
Designer Charles M. Reppert
Construction end December 1922
Construction cost $370,000
Opened 1923
October 15, 2017
Rebuilt 2017
Closed October 16, 2015

The Greenfield Bridge, officially known as the Beechwood Boulevard Bridge, was a concrete arch bridge located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.[1] The bridge spanned the Parkway East (I-376) between the Greenfield and Oakland neighborhoods.

History

The bridge during construction in 1922
The bridge in 2003

The Greenfield Bridge was originally constructed in 1921-1923.[2] It was completed by December 1922, but some of the approaches still needed to be filled in. The final cost was $370,000.[3]

By the late 1980s, the bridge had begun to decay. In September 1989 debris from the bridge impacted cars, injuring three people. By this point nets had been placed under the bridge.[4] A city engineer said he suspected vandals may have thrown the concrete, but one of the drivers said they were watching the bridge after they were forced to stop and saw no one on the bridge.[5]

The decrepit condition of the bridge has "become a national symbol of infrastructure failure" in the United States, and its poor condition was featured on 60 Minutes and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.[6] A makeshift 'bridge under a bridge' was constructed to prevent any falling debris that evaded the old bridge's nets from crashing onto I-376.[7]

The bridge was imploded on December 28, 2015 at 9:20 am.[7] The inbound side of I-376 reopened to traffic on the 31st, a day ahead of schedule. However, the outbound side suffered damage despite a protective layer of dirt placed under the bridge for the implosion and its reopening was delayed.[8]

New bridge

The replacement bridge opened to traffic on October 15, 2017. It is known as the Beechwood Boulevard (Greenfield) Bridge II.[9]

References

  1. ↑ http://phlf.org/2013/02/01/beechwood-boulevard-greenfield-bridge-to-be-replaced/
  2. ↑ "Greenfield Bridge Project - Pittsburgh, PA".
  3. ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Boulevard Bridge To Be Opened to the Public This Month", December 9, 1922; page 1
  4. ↑ The Indiana Gazette "Chunks of Bridge Damage Cars" September 16, 1989; page 1
  5. ↑ The Indiana Gazette "Chunks Fell Off Bridge, Says Driver" September 19, 1989; page 3
  6. ↑ Melissa Daniels, Greenfield Bridge, symbol of infrastructure decay, to be built anew, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (October 10, 2015).
  7. 1 2 "After nearly a century, 'grand' old Greenfield Bridge makes way for the new". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  8. ↑ "Parkway East reopens ahead of schedule after Greenfield Bridge..." WPXI.
  9. ↑ Clift, Theresa (October 14, 2017). "New bridge restores identity for Pittsburgh's Greenfield neighborhood". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
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