The Pennsylvania Truss: A specific type of bridge design involving curved trusses and long spans, ideal for the wide rivers of Western Pennsylvania.
I am proud to come from a state that is home to such bridge design. In my area alone, there are several famous examples of bridges sporting Pennsylvania Trusses. Unfortunately, many of these bridges were dropped into the Monongahela River over a decade ago, and have since been replaced by utilitarian and concrete bridges, much to the horror of local historians. Today, we’ll look at a few of my favorites, and try to find out what went wrong.
The Charleroi-Monessen Bridge
The Charleroi-Monessen Bridge was constructed in 1908 as a toll bridge to serve traffic connecting the cities of Monessen and Charleroi, as the name suggests. At the time, the two cities were local powerhouses in steelmaking and glassmaking, respectively. Thus, there was a large demand for a river crossing. The bridge was constructed out of several large spans, held together by pins and bolts at their junctions. The steel grating of the bridge was infamous in the community for the poor conditions it produced during the winter, as well as for the ability to see straight down to the river through it. The bridge was particularly famous because of how beautiful it was. Painted a brilliant teal, the bridge was an inviting sight to look at on the river, and I remember marveling at the massive spans driving over the bridge as a small child. Unfortunately, the bridge was closed in 2009 due to severe structural deficiency. Specifically, the bank holding a portal for the bridge was beginning to slump. This possibly caused a chain reaction that ended up bending a structural component of the bridge. The bridge was soon imploded and replaced by a brand new, much more boring highway bridge.
The Donora Webster Bridge
The story of the Donora-Webster bridge is much more macabre in my opinion. Constructed in 1906 mere miles from the town of Monessen, the bridge linked the towns of Donora and Webster, two small towns most known for being the epicenter of the Donora Smog of 1948 in which at least 21 people died. Over time, the town deteriorated, and its Pennsylvania Truss bridge fell apart along with it. The particularly interesting part of this bridge was how large it was, with its main span stretching 515 feet over the river. It was also known for its strange entrance, which was built as a ramp rather than a natural entrance from street level. When this bridge was closed in 2009, the reason was for “extreme deterioration.” What was exactly meant by this is not known. but the bridge was quite rusty. When this bridge was dropped into the river, it was not replaced. This means that the towns of Donora and Webster are now, and probably forever will be, split apart.
As someone also from Western PA, I have too have seen my fair share of bridges. What I did not know was that Pennsylvania had its own style of bridge. Upon reading your blog, I immediately thought of PA truss bridges that I have seen in my life, bridges whose designs and structures now have a name. The Smithfield Street represents the PA truss right next to downtown Pittsburgh.
I think that this post is very interesting. While I may not be from the west side of the state, I have seen my fair share of PA bridges, and I have to say, the thing that interests me most about them is not their construction or their usage, but their disposal. I’ve never really put too much thought into how they get rid of a bridge that should no longer be used, which is why it surprises me to hear from your post that they just drop them into the river. I’m sure that there is a team that cleans up the waste from the bridge and gets it out of the river, but it is just something that I find weird. Regardless, cool post!