Discovering Pittsburgh: Bridging neighborhoods

Abstract

The recent collapse of the Fern Hollow bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park might cause a snicker or two, but Pittsburgh bridges are iconic, and icons don’t crumble easily. Pittsburgh bridges have historically connected its greatly diverse neighborhoods and communities.

Affectionately known as the “City of Bridges,” Pittsburgh boasts 1,500 bridges, in Allegheny County alone, and is home to the Three Sisters, the only three identical self-anchor bridges in the world: The Rachel Carson Bridge (aka the Ninth Street Bridge) and the Andy Warhol Bridge (or the Seventh Street Bridge) opened in 1926, followed by the Roberto Clemente Bridge (or the Sixth Street Bridge), which opened in 1928.