Birmingham Bridge

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name= Birmingham Bridge


caption=
official_name=
also_known_as= pghe587-22
carries= 6 lanes of roadway
1 pedestrian walkway
crosses= Monongahela River
locale= Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
maint= PennDOT
id=
design= Steel bowstring arch bridge
mainspan= convert|607|ft|m
length= convert|1662|ft|m
width=
clearance=
below= convert|64.8|ft|m
traffic=
open= 1976
closed=
toll=
map_cue=
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map_text=
map_width=
coordinates= coord|40.433361|N|79.973499|W|type:landmark
lat=
long=

The Birmingham Bridge is a tied arch bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which crosses over the Monongahela River. The bridge connects East Carson Street on the South Side with Fifth and Forbes Avenues going to Uptown, Oakland, and the Hill District. The Birmingham Bridge was built in 1976. It replaced the Brady Street Bridge, which was demolished in 1978. Railings from the Brady Street Bridge, rescued by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation are utilized in the construction of the Station Square station.

The Birmingham Bridge is notable for the dead end lanes that were originally to be part of a city belt system. The project was canceled and the bridge rerouted. [ [http://pghbridges.com/pittsburghE/0587-4476/birmingham.htm Birmingham Bridge page at Pghbridges] ] Ramps leading to the bridge were constructed in a manner which ensures that both Forbes Avenue and Fifth Avenue would be one-way streets permanently. A pedestrian walkway runs along the downstream side of the bridge, ending at steps at the south abutment of the bridge.

On April 2 2007 large sections of the bridge were shut down for repair. The repair project was expected to finish on November 1, 2007. While the project did not complete on time, by late November all barricades had been removed and all lanes were again open. [" [http://www.dot.state.pa.us/penndot/districts/district11.nsf/1f38a1dad4f45b968525716b0056a269/c677f6371fc43a36852572bf00611523?OpenDocument] ." "PennDOT Projects - April 2007" Retrieved June 1, 2007. ] During the bridge rehabilitation, bike lanes were added along the outer sides of both the northbound and southbound traffic lanes.

On February 8 2008 the bridge was closed for inspection after a motorist called 911 when the deck dropped several inches. PennDOT indicated that one of the rockers that support bridge beams slipped [http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20080208_ap_birminghambridgeclosedforstructuralinspection.html] and "feels it is in the best interest of the traveling public to close the outbound lanes at this time and conduct a thorough inspection to ensure the integrity of the structure. [http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_039102844.html] In the early morning hours of Monday, March 3 2008, the southbound deck reopened for to serve traffic in both directions, cars and buses only. On September 8,2008, the northbound deck fully reopened and northbound traffic was relocated to it. The inner lane of the southbound deck remained closed, and southbound trucks were still barred from the span.

Trivia

In the TV show Fringe, the Birmingham Bridge collapsed in September 2007 from an unkown cause.

External links

* [http://pghbridges.com/articles/PA3-13.htm Brady Street Bridge] at pghbridges.com
* [http://pghbridges.com/pittsburghE/0587-4476/birmingham.htm Birmingham Bridge] at pghbridges.com

ee also

*List of crossings of the Monongahela River

References

Crossings navbox
structure = Bridges
place = Monongahela River
bridge = Birmingham Bridge
bridge signs = SR 2085
upstream = Hot Metal Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream = South Tenth Street Bridge
downstream signs =