Homestead Grays Bridge facts for kids
The Homestead Grays Bridge, also known as the High Level Bridge, is a famous bridge in Pennsylvania. It was built in 1936 and crosses the Monongahela River. This bridge connects the town of Homestead with the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh. It was the first bridge ever to use a special design called the Wichert Truss. This design uses unique four-sided shapes over its supports, which helped engineers figure out how strong the bridge needed to be.
Quick facts for kids Homestead Grays Bridge |
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View of the Homestead Grays Bridge
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| Coordinates | 40°24′39″N 79°55′08″W / 40.41083°N 79.91889°W |
| Carries | Blue Belt |
| Crosses | Monongahela River |
| Locale | Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Official name | Homestead Grays Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Pittsburgh-Homestead High Level Bridge |
| Named for | Homestead Grays |
| Maintained by | Allegheny County |
| NBI Number | 027301304723920 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss bridge |
| Total length | 3,750 ft (1,140 m) |
| Height | 49.9 ft (15.2 m) |
| Designated: | 2001 |
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History of the Bridge
The Homestead Grays Bridge was officially opened on Saturday, November 20, 1937. It cost Allegheny County about $2.75 million to build. When it first opened, it had four lanes for cars and two tracks for streetcars. This new bridge took the place of an older bridge called Brown's Bridge, which was built in 1897.
A New Name for the Bridge
On July 11, 2002, the Homestead High-Level Bridge got a new name. It was renamed the Homestead Grays Bridge. This was done to honor the famous Homestead Grays baseball team. This team was a very important part of baseball history.
Fixing Up the Bridge
Over the years, the bridge started to show its age. It had not been updated since 1979. So, in 2006 and 2007, a big project began to fix it up. Workers removed the old road surface and stripped the bridge down to its steel frame. They repaired the steel and then put on a new, wider road surface.
The new road is six feet wider, giving more space for traffic. The sidewalks for people walking were also made wider. The old railings and lights were replaced with new ones that looked like the original historic designs. Finally, the entire bridge was painted a fresh blue-grey color.
