Brownsville Bridge

The Brownsville Bridge is a Pennsylvania (Petit) truss bridge that carries PA Route 4025 over the Monongahela River between Brownsville and West Brownsville, Pennsylvania.

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The Brownsville Bridge is a Pennsylvania (Petit) truss bridge that carries PA Route 4025 over the Monongahela River between Brownsville and West Brownsville, Pennsylvania.

History

The need for a bridge at Brownsville grew out of the development of the National Road, the first major road in the United States built with federal funds. Constructed between 1811 and 1818, the road linked Cumberland, Maryland, and Wheeling, Virginia. ² At first, travelers reaching the Monongahela River had to rely on ferries to cross.

The earliest crossing in the Brownsville area was created when material from nearby hillsides was pushed into Dunlap’s Creek to form a causeway. ² That causeway became Market Street and later formed part of the National Road. It was soon replaced by a wooden bridge, and in 1832, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers erected an iron truss over the creek.

First Bridge (1833-1910)

By the 1830s, traffic had increased enough to justify a permanent crossing over the Monongahela River. ² In 1833, the newly organized Monongahela Bridge Company completed a three-span, 630-foot wooden covered bridge at a cost of $37,000.

By the early twentieth century, use of the covered bridge had declined because of competition from nearby railroads. ² At the same time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that the bridge no longer met vertical clearance requirements established by an Act of Congress on March 23, 1906. The Monongahela Bridge Company offered the bridge to the city, but it was ultimately purchased by the Monongahela Railway Company, which demolished it in 1910 at the direction of the U.S. Secretary of War. In the interim, a 3¢ toll ferry resumed service across the river.

Second Bridge (1914-Present)

Meanwhile, Congress had already moved toward authorizing a replacement. On April 23, 1906, an act authorized the Fayette Bridge Company to construct a new bridge at the same site, provided it was completed by April 23, 1910. ² The U.S. House of Representatives reserved the right to void the authorization unless construction began by April 23, 1907. Because no progress had been made by June 25, 1910, Congress amended the act, extending the completion deadline to June 25, 1914.

In September 1910, citizens of Brownsville and West Brownsville submitted petitions arguing that the cost of a new bridge was too great for private financing. ² They asked instead that the crossing be built with public funds supplied by Fayette and Washington counties. According to the petition, the proposed bridge would be 810 feet long.

The Monongahela Railway Company tried to block the construction of the new bridge by seeking damages through the courts. ² The court ruled against the railway and ordered that the bridge be built without further delay.

Plans prepared by G. Porter, Hermann & Armstrong were approved by the Secretary of War on April 19, 1913. ² They called for a 520-foot main span with a minimum vertical clearance of 55 feet. On July 14, 1913, a $70,000 contract was awarded to the Crossan Construction Company of Philadelphia for the abutments and piers, while a separate $456,903 contract went to the Fort Pitt Bridge Company of Canonsburg for the superstructure.

Crossan completed its work by early 1914. ² By mid-April, timber for the falsework and 1,700 tons of steel from Jones & Laughlin had arrived, and erection of the superstructure began. Construction was essentially complete by early October 1914, when a formal dedication was held. The new Brownsville Bridge was completed at a reported cost of $250,000 and opened as a toll-free crossing.

As built, the bridge included two streetcar tracks intended for a proposed line of the West Penn Railways Company, a 6-foot, 6-inch granolithic sidewalk cantilevered from the north truss, woodblock paving on the main span and the span over the railroad tracks, and brick paving elsewhere. ² The streetcar tracks were never used, despite plans for a loop connecting major cities in western Pennsylvania. In 1934, the unused rails were removed, and the roadway was repaved in amesite.

In 1929, the bridge became part of U.S. Route 40. ² A bypass to the north was completed in 1960, reducing through traffic on the span.

The bridge underwent repairs and modernization several times. Its deck was replaced with reinforced concrete panels, and the superstructure was repaired in 1947 and 1948, followed by additional work in 1966. ² In 1985, an empty barge broke loose from its moorings during a flood and struck one of the piers, causing extensive damage. The bridge was redecked and repaired.

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Gallery

Historic

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Details

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Sources

1. Bureau of Historic Preservation. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Brownsville Bridge. By D. Piccolomini and M. Francis. Pub. no. T-21. Harrisburg: Bureau for Historic Preservation, 1988. Print.
2. Historic American Engineering Record. National Park Service. Old Brownsville Bridge. Pub. no. PA-472. Washington, 1968. Print.