The Ohl Street Bridge carries Ohl Street over the Shenango River in Greenville, Pennsylvania. It was closed to traffic in 2009 and is awaiting replacement.
A footbridge originally connected a working-class residential neighborhood to the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad shops across the Shenango. 1 In September 1907, a petition was circulated to the Court of Quarter Sessions for a road bridge to replace the footbridge. A report on bridge specifications, which was to accommodate pedestrians, motorists, and a streetcar line, was presented to the Grand Jury on October 21 and was approved two days later. The county agreed to pay for the bridge in November.
The county selected the Canton Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio to construct the Pratt through truss, which was finished in October 1909. 1 It included structural steel throughout, with cast steel for shoes and bearings, and cast iron for decorative elements. The bridge deck was built with arched corrugated steel plates filled with concrete. The center of the deck was built with heavier steel to support a proposed streetcar line that was never built.
It was last rehabilitated in 1980 when some floor beams and stringers were replaced and some truss members were strengthened with cover plates. 1
A safety inspection on June 1, 2009, showed the bridge had serious structural deterioration and was closed to all automobile traffic immediately after. 2 3 The open-grid deck allowed de-icing salts and water to deteriorate the floor beams and stringers, some of which contained 100% section loss. 3 Some truss members also exhibited a loss of 50% of their original size due to rust. HDR of Pittsburgh began design work for a new bridge, although construction remains unfunded. 2
Information
- State: Pennsylvania
- Route: Ohl Street
- Type: Pratt Through Truss
- Status: Abandoned / Closed
- Total Length: 256 feet
- Main Span Length: 128 feet
- Spans:
- Deck Width: 28 feet
- Navigational Clearance: