[PRCo] Birmingham Bridge

[Fred Schneider]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Bridge

There is a nice article today in USA Today on the condition of  
bridges on our highways ... the wholly expected diatribe about how  
our politicians have been ducking repairs because you have to raise  
road taxes to do it.   Pennsylvania has the highest percentage of  
bridges that are falling apart of any state ... 26% of them are  
deficient.  Perhaps we also have the highest percentage of deficient  
politicians?

Interestingly the Birmingham Bridge in Pittsburgh is described as one  
of the worst.   We are told in USA Today that it is OLD.  I'm not  
sure I understand how a bridge built in 1971 can be considered old  
when the 6th, 7th and 9th Street Bridges are at least 42 years older  
than it is.  The 10th Street suspension bridge is about 38 years  
older.  The Crossing (40th) Street Bridge is 47 years older. The 16th  
Street Bridge is 48 years older.  The stone arch Lincoln Avenue  
Bridge over Washington Blvd. is 63 years older.   Kee-rist man, I can  
remember when the doctor who amputated an iron workers leg up on the  
old Brady Street Bridge made National news when they were tearing it  
down to build this OLD Birmingham Bridge.

Come to think of it, perhaps the only major OLD bridges in Allegheny  
County that are newer than the Birmingham Bridge are the replacement  
bridges over the Ohio to Neville Island (they were built in the early  
1980s) and the I-79 structure over Ohio River (1974).   (Remember  
when they closed the I-79 bridge because a boat captain looked up and  
saw something fishy ... pun not intended?)

Maybe I just don't understand what an OLD bridge is?  But calling  
bridges OLD sells newspapers.  I guess it sells newspapers.   Helps  
to make people paranoid.

But then I come from a county which still has over two dozen wooden  
covered bridges!

Can any one out there tell me what is really wrong with the bridge?    
Was it a structurally bad design to begin with?  Was the construction  
work not inspected right back way back in Nineteen and Seventy One?   
Hey Bob Dietrich ... your daughter is a bridge engineer for PennDOT  
District 8 ... what has she got to say about that one?   Is there  
anyone else who knows anything about it?

fws