Rankin Bridge
Encyclopedia
The George Rankin Jr. Memorial Bridge is a cantilever bridge
that carries the Green Belt across the Monongahela River
between Whitaker, Pennsylvania
and Rankin, Pennsylvania
. It carries four lanes of automobile traffic, plus pedestrian walkways, both paved with concrete. The bridge serves over 22,500 people per day. The bridge and many of its approach ramps were originally built with trolley tracks, all of which have since been removed.
The Rankin Bridge was first and foremost an automobile bridge, but it also accommodated streetcars with equal facility as it carried Pittsburgh Railways
trolley route #55 Homestead
-East Pittsburgh on both the main span (the middle two traffic lanes) and the cloverleaf
ramps to Kenmawr/Braddock Avenue on the Rankin and Braddock
side of the river. In an unusual and complicated, but nevertheless fluid, setup, the tracks of the 55 crossed over the top of, and then interfaced on the surface with, the tracks of another route, #67 Swissvale-Rankin-Braddock, which then left Kenmawr to run on Ridge and Talbot streets in Braddock, while the 55 took the tracks on Braddock Avenue for the last leg of its trip to East Pittsburgh. A 55 car could also become a 67 car if necessary, and vice versa, by taking each other's route, in either direction.
Though not containing a cloverleaf, the western (Whitaker) end of the bridge also had its share of streetcar and highway complexity. A third trolley route, #68 Homestead-Duquesne
-Kennywood-McKeesport, utilized the western approach, though not the bridge itself, going straight on PA 837 (Monongahela Boulevard) while the outbound route 55 turned left onto the bridge. The connection was an at-grade three-way "T" junction; the seldom-used third leg allowed route 68 cars to cross the bridge. This junction was made without conflicts with auto traffic, as through traffic on Mon Boulevard (today's northbound lanes) passed under the bridge.
Route 55 was converted to bus on September 5, 1965, ending trolley service over the Rankin Bridge and its ramps. Route 67 cars made their last runs on January 28, 1967, while route 68 had been converted to bus earlier, on September 21, 1958.
The Rankin Bridge has been upgraded several times, including at least two redeckings, plus creation of new dual southbound through lanes for PA 837 and conversion of the original 837 through lanes to northbound only. Most recently, the bridge received a $47.8 million comprehensive rehabilitation, which included replacement of the concrete deck and the sidewalks. The new deck is wider, allowing for slightly wider lanes, as well as permitting the shoulders
to be co-designated as bicycle lanes. Special attention was given to the gusset plates on the bridge structure, a component implicated in the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007. Traffic restrictions ended in December 2010, and the entire project was completed in late April 2011.
Cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
that carries the Green Belt across the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
between Whitaker, Pennsylvania
Whitaker, Pennsylvania
Whitaker is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is on the Monongahela River upriver from Pittsburgh. The population was 1,271 at the 2010 census.The borough is named for James Whitaker, who was deeded the land in 1788....
and Rankin, Pennsylvania
Rankin, Pennsylvania
Rankin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. Early in the 20th century, Rankin specialized in manufacturing steel and wire goods...
. It carries four lanes of automobile traffic, plus pedestrian walkways, both paved with concrete. The bridge serves over 22,500 people per day. The bridge and many of its approach ramps were originally built with trolley tracks, all of which have since been removed.
History
The Rankin Bridge was built on the site of the 1897 steel truss West Braddock Bridge, a narrow trolley bridge equipped with a wooden deck. Like similar road-rail bridges in the area, the West Braddock Bridge was poorly suited to automobile and truck traffic, a deficiency the new bridge rectified.The Rankin Bridge was first and foremost an automobile bridge, but it also accommodated streetcars with equal facility as it carried Pittsburgh Railways
Pittsburgh Railways
Pittsburgh Railways was one of the predecessors of the Port Authority of Allegheny County. It had 666 PCC cars, the third largest fleet in North America. It had 68 street car routes, of which only three are used by the Port Authority as light rail routes...
trolley route #55 Homestead
Homestead, Pennsylvania
Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the "Mon Valley," southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an important event in the history of labor relations in the United...
-East Pittsburgh on both the main span (the middle two traffic lanes) and the cloverleaf
Cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...
ramps to Kenmawr/Braddock Avenue on the Rankin and Braddock
Braddock, Pennsylvania
Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 10 miles upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 2,159 at the 2010 census...
side of the river. In an unusual and complicated, but nevertheless fluid, setup, the tracks of the 55 crossed over the top of, and then interfaced on the surface with, the tracks of another route, #67 Swissvale-Rankin-Braddock, which then left Kenmawr to run on Ridge and Talbot streets in Braddock, while the 55 took the tracks on Braddock Avenue for the last leg of its trip to East Pittsburgh. A 55 car could also become a 67 car if necessary, and vice versa, by taking each other's route, in either direction.
Though not containing a cloverleaf, the western (Whitaker) end of the bridge also had its share of streetcar and highway complexity. A third trolley route, #68 Homestead-Duquesne
Duquesne, Pennsylvania
Duquesne is a city along the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The population was 5,565 at the 2010 census.-History:...
-Kennywood-McKeesport, utilized the western approach, though not the bridge itself, going straight on PA 837 (Monongahela Boulevard) while the outbound route 55 turned left onto the bridge. The connection was an at-grade three-way "T" junction; the seldom-used third leg allowed route 68 cars to cross the bridge. This junction was made without conflicts with auto traffic, as through traffic on Mon Boulevard (today's northbound lanes) passed under the bridge.
Route 55 was converted to bus on September 5, 1965, ending trolley service over the Rankin Bridge and its ramps. Route 67 cars made their last runs on January 28, 1967, while route 68 had been converted to bus earlier, on September 21, 1958.
The Rankin Bridge has been upgraded several times, including at least two redeckings, plus creation of new dual southbound through lanes for PA 837 and conversion of the original 837 through lanes to northbound only. Most recently, the bridge received a $47.8 million comprehensive rehabilitation, which included replacement of the concrete deck and the sidewalks. The new deck is wider, allowing for slightly wider lanes, as well as permitting the shoulders
Shoulder (road)
A hard shoulder, or simply shoulder, is a reserved area by the verge of a road or motorway. Generally it is kept clear of motor vehicle traffic...
to be co-designated as bicycle lanes. Special attention was given to the gusset plates on the bridge structure, a component implicated in the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007. Traffic restrictions ended in December 2010, and the entire project was completed in late April 2011.
External links
- Pittsburgh trolley trackage map, 1959 Includes inset of Rankin Bridge trackage
