Crosses Allegheny River Opened 1890 Longest span 20 m Bridge type Truss bridge | Design Whipple Truss bridge Clearance below 9.1 m Location Pittsburgh Body of water Allegheny River | |
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Carries Three River Heritage Bike Trail Locale Pittsburgh (Troy Hill to Herr's Island) Other name(s) West Penn Railroad Bridge
South Railroad Bridge Maintained by Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) Similar Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge, 33rd Street Railroad Bridge, David McCullough Bridge, Panhandle Bridge, Highland Park Bridge | ||
The Herr's Island Railroad Bridge, also known as the West Penn Railroad Bridge, is a truss bridge across the Allegheny River between the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Troy Hill and Herrs Island (commonly referred to as Washington's Landing).
History
The bridge was originally built in 1890 by the Western Pennsylvania Railroad (West Penn) to gain access to Herr's Island. It left the main line on the mainland by means of a curving red brick viaduct and three plate girder spans over River Avenue and the B&O before crossing the back channel on a Whipple truss to reach the stockyards and warehouses on the island. In 1903 the West Penn was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad, becoming the Western Penn branch. The bridge was strengthened and raised later in the same year to match the raised land level on the island.
Between 1970 and 1990 the brick viaduct and three plate girder spans were removed. In 1999, about a decade after the redevelopment of the island to feature condominiums and a business park, the bridge was re-decked and reopened as part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.