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E. H. Swindell Bridge
The bridge in 1931
Coordinates40°28′20″N 80°0′19″W / 40.47222°N 80.00528°W / 40.47222; -80.00528
CrossesEast Street Valley,
Interstate 279,
East Street
Other name(s)East Street Bridge
Named forEdward H. Swindell
OwnerCity of Pittsburgh
Characteristics
MaterialSteel
Total length1,097 feet (334 m)
Width28 feet (8.5 m)
Longest span545 feet (166 m)
No. of spans3
History
Constructed byIndependent Bridge Company
Construction cost$925,000
InauguratedSeptember 15, 1930
E. H. Swindell Bridge
Built/founded1929–1930
PHLF designated2003
Location
Map

The E. H. Swindell Bridge is a steel deck truss cantilever bridge located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The bridge connects the adjoining hilltop neighborhoods of Perry South, Spring Hill–City View, and Northview Heights on the city's North Side.[1] It spans a ravine known as East Street Valley or Butcher's Run which was formerly a residential neighborhood but is now occupied by Interstate 279.

The bridge was designated a Historic Landmark by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in 2003.[2]

Design

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The Swindell Bridge is a three-span Pratt deck truss cantilever bridge with arched lower chords. It is 1,097 feet (334 m) long, with a 545-foot (166 m) main span, and has a 28-foot (8.5 m) wide deck carrying two traffic lanes and two sidewalks.[3] When built, the height of the bridge above the ravine floor was over 200 feet (61 m).[4] After the construction of Interstate 279 in the late 1980s, the height of the bridge is about 160 feet (49 m).[5]

History

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A bridge over East Street Valley had been requested since the early 1900s, mainly by business organizations which wanted to open the sparsely populated City View neighborhood for development. With support from State Senator Morris Einstein, approximately $925,000 in funding for the bridge was raised via city bond issues in 1919 and 1926 and a county bond issue in 1924.[6] Contracts for the bridge substructure and approaches were awarded to Booth and Flinn,[7][8] while the Pittsburgh-based Independent Bridge Company was responsible for building the steel superstructure.[9]

The bridge foundations were built between January and August, 1929,[10] followed by the steel superstructure. The main cantilever span was constructed starting from both ends and meeting in the middle. When the two sections were joined, it was discovered that the vertical alignment was off by 2 inches (5.1 cm) due to an engineering mistake, resulting in a visible defect. Engineers concluded that the strength of the bridge was not compromised, so the structure was left as it was.[11] The finished bridge was dedicated on September 15, 1930, in a ceremony which was cut short by heavy rain.[12] It was named for Edward H. Swindell (1867–1928), a North Side businessman who was one of the bridge's early proponents.[13][14]

Upon opening, the bridge was criticized as a "bridge to nowhere" and was nicknamed the "Scandal Bridge" as the anticipated City View development boom failed to materialize. Although built to highway standards, the bridge terminated onto an unpaved road and was used by only a handful of residents who lived nearby. The Pittsburgh Press reported in 1932 that fewer than 100 cars and trucks were crossing the bridge each day and that children could be found playing in the roadway as vehicles passed by only about every 10 minutes.[6] Moreover, the bridge's isolated location made it a popular place for pranks, vandalism, and suicides. Rocks, bricks, and other items were frequently thrown from the bridge, endangering the East Street Valley residents who lived underneath,[15][16] and police estimated that about fifty people had jumped from the span by 1952.[17] The city installed 10-foot (3.0 m) wire mesh fencing on the bridge in the early 1960s, but this did not entirely curb the problems.[18]

Aerial photo of the Swindell Bridge by Carol M. Highsmith, 2019

The bridge finally began to carry a significant amount of traffic after the opening of the 999-unit Northview Heights housing project in 1962.[19][20][21] By this point, the bridge was starting to deteriorate, and it was closed in 1969 for repairs to the structure, roadway, sidewalks, and curbing, at a cost of $600,000.[22][23] A more extensive rehabilitation, including replacement of the deck, sidewalks, and lighting, improved drainage, and reinforcement of the steel structure, was completed in 1988.[24][25]

In the wake of the 2022 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge, the Swindell Bridge was identified as another of Pittsburgh's most deficient bridges, having been rated as poor since 2009 with issues including "heavy rusting, exposed rebar and missing or leaking seals".[26] In July 2022, debris fell onto I-279 while a crew was performing emergency paving work on the bridge, prompting the city to close the span to traffic. An inspection concluded that the material fell from a torn drainage trough in one of the bridge's expansion joints. The city was unable to replace the trough due to the 2021–2023 global supply chain crisis, so a temporary repair was effected by simply welding steel plate over the expansion joint. The bridge reopened in September 2022.[27]

The bridge was closed again in July–August 2023 to replace damaged steel beams at the west end of the span. A single-lane restriction on the bridge was supposed to be removed after completing this work, but was kept in effect after still more damaged beams were found.[28] The bridge is planned to undergo a full rehabilitation with construction tentatively estimated to begin in 2027.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Pittsburgh Neighborhoods Map". City of Pittsburgh. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968–2014 (PDF). Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2014. p. 19. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "National Bridge Inventory Data Sheet: Swindell Bridge" (PDF). historicbridges.org. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Span To Open September 15". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 30, 1930. Retrieved October 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Kidney, Walter C. (1997). Pittsburgh's Landmark Architecture. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. p. 287.
  6. ^ a b "'Bridge To Nowhere' Serves Dozen Homes; Costs City And County $50,000 Annually". Pittsburgh Press. December 20, 1932. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "City Contracts Let". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 9, 1929. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Contracts Let on Many City Improvements". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 12, 1929. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "City Awards Big Contracts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 14, 1929. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Helps N. S. Traffic". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. August 19, 1929. Retrieved September 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Denies Span Blunder Decreases Strength". Pittsburgh Press. November 19, 1930. Retrieved September 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "New East Street Bridge Dedicated". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 16, 1930. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Name Given to Span". Pittsburgh Press. January 30, 1929. Retrieved September 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Edward H. Swindell". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 12, 1928. Retrieved September 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Brick Throwing From Span Perils Lives". Pittsburgh Press. December 10, 1931. Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "'Nowhere' Span Neighbors Are Rock Targets". Pittsburgh Press. October 15, 1934. Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Hilltop Man Survives East Street Bridge Leap". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 27, 1952. Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "East Street Bridge Rains Peril". Pittsburgh Press. September 15, 1963. Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Pade, William (June 7, 1953). "East Street Bridge To Link City With Big Housing Project". Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Million Dollar Mistake Going Somewhere Now". Pittsburgh Press. April 20, 1958. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Seidenberg, Mel (January 2, 1962). "New Housing Project Ready for Tenants". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Hazardous Trip". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 27, 1969. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Repairs To Shut 2 Bridges Here". Pittsburgh Press. May 29, 1969. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "North Side Span to Close 15 Months for Repairs". Pittsburgh Press. March 14, 1988. Clippings of the first and second pages via Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  25. ^ "Bridge to reopen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 9, 1988. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Bridges on the Brink". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 13, 2022. Clippings of the first, second, and third pages via Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  27. ^ Goldstein, Andrew (September 2, 2022). "Swindell Bridge on North Side Reopens". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Clippings of the first and second pages via Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  28. ^ Kirkland, Talia (August 7, 2023). "Latest round of Swindell Bridge repairs leave some drivers concerned". WPXI-TV. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  29. ^ Felton, Julia (July 7, 2023). "Swindell Bridge on Pittsburgh's North Side to close for about a month". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
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