| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Boston Bridge
| Walnut Street (PA-48 - Orange Beltway) Over Youghiogheny River | Versailles: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania | Metal Riveted Cantilever Through Truss, Stationary | 1931 By: Fort Pitt Bridge Works of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Technical Facts |
| Rehabilitation Date | Main Span Length | Structure Length | Roadway Width | Bridge Width | Main Spans | Approach Spans |
| 1989 | 420 Feet (128 Meters) | 1182 Feet (360.3 Meters) | 29.5 Feet (9 Meters) | 46 Feet (14 Meters) | 3 | 0 |
This impressive bridge which is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, is a striking and impressive cantilever bridge that is very unlike most cantilever bridges encountered. The bridge was designed to look highly attractive, and as such the sway bracing on this bridge is designed as unusual large arch shapes, and the top chord of the cantilever is carefully designed especially between the towers to have a very smooth curved appearance to the bridge. The curve is designed so that the top chord sweeps far lower that in most cantilever bridges, which is only possible because the bridge has sway bracing only in the vicinity of the towers, yet another unusual feature of this bridge. There also is no apparent suspended span which is unlike most cantilever bridges. The bridge's diagonal and vertical members are all rolled beams, and the top chord is a built-up box beam with lattice on the bottom, which is the only place in which lattice occurs on the bridge. No v-lacing is present. At least some and perhaps all the steel on the bridge was fabricated by Carnegie.
Original pedestrian railings remain on the bridge, and low profile New Jersey barriers were added to protect the trusses from vehicular traffic.
The bridge is historically and technologically significant as a unusual execution of the cantilever truss bridge type, and for retaining a good degree of historic integrity.
This highly attractive bridge is a very important bridge among Allegheny County's vast collection of historic bridges. Its preservation is essential.
