The Leet Street Bridge is a closed Pratt through truss over State Route 65 and railroad tracks in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania. It features an unusual Z section in the hip panel floor beam hangers and bottom chords.
The bridge was constructed in 1886 by the Morse Bridge Company of Youngstown, Ohio as Bridge No. 20 of the Pittsburgh, Youngstown & Ashtabula Railroad at Lawrence Junction, Pennsylvania. The bridge was relocated in 1904 to Leetsdale where it was widened by the Pittsburgh Steel Construction Company to accommodate a roadway over the Pennsylvania Railroad.
A concrete beam girder bridge was added to the northeastern approach in 1946 to accommodate the four-lane Ohio River Boulevard (State Route 65). It was modernized in 1985 with new railings and bridge deck.
Concerned over the condition of the bridge, Leesdale agreed in 1993 that the Lee Street Bridge be torn down once another overpass of the tracks was completed. 3 The new overpass, between Broad Street and Brickworks Drive, opened in 2007. 4
In 1994, Norfolk Southern expressed interest in handing over maintenance of the Leet Street Bridge to Leetsdale, but the borough declined the request over cost concerns. 1
Following an inspection by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Leet Street Bridge was rated structurally deficient. 1 Structural work was completed by Norfolk Southern Railroad in late 2012. In April 2013, the bridge was closed to truck traffic and the roadway was narrowed to one lane for cars. 3 After an inspection revealed a pin nut that had severely corroded, the closed to all automobile traffic on October 2. 2 3
Norfolk Southern expressed interest in tearing down the truss bridge at a cost of $77,000, which would leave the PennDOT owned bridge over Ohio River Boulevard remaining. 3
Information
- State: Pennsylvania
- Route: Leet Street
- Type: Pratt Through Truss
- Status: Demolished - Not Replaced
- Total Length: 109feet
- Main Span Length: 105 feet
- Spans:
- Deck Width: 19 feet
- Above Vertical Clearance: 21.2 feet
- Navigational Clearance:
Sources
- Cherry, Bobby. “Work slated to begin on Leet Street Bridge.” TribLive, 17 Oct. 2012.
- Dudkiewicz, Larissa. “Leet Street Bridge Closes Indefinitely.” Patch, 2 Oct. 2013.
- Barron, Joanne. “Leetsdale span could become ‘bridge to nowhere.'” TribLive, 16 Oct. 2013.
- Cherry, Bobby. “Leetsdale residents fear bridge closure leaves them without escape route.” TribLive, 15 Jan. 2015.