Roberto Clemente Bridge northbound
Also known as the 6th Street Bridge, the Clemente Bridge is one of the Three Sisters, crossing the Allegheny River between downtown Pittsburgh and the North Shore. It is named for the famous Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player and opened in 1928.
Also Includes: PNC Park, North Shore Expressway Flyover
Pittsburgh History Today: Sister Bridges
Heinz History Center President and CEO Andy Masich stops by to talk about the history of Pittsburgh’s Sister Bridges!
Rubber Duck arrives in Pittsburgh
The rubber duck makes its inaugural appearance in the United States with a stop in Pittsburgh. The duck would eventually dock at Point State Park. As you'll see, the duck was towed by pontoons during the Rubber Duck Bridge Party. This video was captured on my cell phone.
I filmed this on the Roberto Clemente (Sixth Street) Bridge.
Riding Over Monongahela River On Smithfield St. Bridge
A Little Pittsburgh History: The Smithfield Street Bridge
Everyone knows that Pittsburgh is a city of bridges (The City of Bridges, in fact -- we've got Venice beat by three!). Depending on how you count, we have 446 (counting towards the official record: only bridges that have piers, and are within the city limits), 994 (highway bridges in the metropolitan area), or 2139 (in all of Allegheny County, including all highway, pedestrian and railroad bridges over 8 feet long). If you go with the biggest number ('cause why wouldn't you? we're proud of our bridges!), that's just about one bridge for every 500 people in Allegheny County. That's a little mind-boggling.
Pittsburgh Bridges, by Ben PeoplesWhat a lot of people don't know is that many of our bridges are actually the second, third, or even fourth incarnation to cross the river (or ravine or railroad tracks) at the same site. Take our beloved Roberto Clemente bridge, for example -- did you know that the Clemente is actually the fourth bridge to cross the Allegheny River at Sixth Street? The first incarnation of the Sixth Street Bridge was a covered wooden bridge, constructed in 1819. That bridge was replaced in 1860 by a suspension bridge designed by John A. Roebling, which was in turn replaced by a Theodore Cooper truss bridge in 1893. In 1927, to make way for construction of the Three Sisters, Cooper's truss bridge was lifted off its piers, put on barges, and floated downriver to become the Coraopolis-Neville Island Bridge. Amazing.
The 20's and 30's were actually the Golden Age of bridge-building in Pittsburgh -- a combination of a US War Department river clearance requirement and the county's plan for an Ultimate Highway System led to a lot of bridge construction during the Roarin' Twenties. In fact, most of our oldest bridges were built during this Golden Age, which is part of why the Smithfield Street Bridge is so amazing: it opened almost 40 years before the Golden Age, and it's still in use today.
Smithfield Street Bridge, 1881The first Smithfield Street Bridge, a covered wooden bridge that opened in 1818, was actually the first river crossing built in Pittsburgh. Can you imagine that? The first bridge to cross the Monongahela. The first road into what would become downtown Pittsburgh. That's some pretty amazing history right there. That bridge was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1845 and replaced with one of Roebling's wire rope suspension bridges (one of his first, in fact), but by 1880, traffic had become too heavy, and that bridge needed to be replaced. The current structure was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, who later designed the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City, and the new Smithfield Street Bridge opened in 1883. It is currently the oldest steel bridge in operation in the United States, and the oldest and longest through-truss bridge of its kind.
The bridge has gone through a few changes in the 127 years since it opened: it's needed to be widened twice, in 1889 and 1911; the original cast-iron portals were replaced with the current steel design; and tracks that were originally built for horse-drawn streetcars were converted to electric streetcar lines, and then finally removed completely in 1985. The bridge was almost demolished in the early 90's, but lobbying from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation convinced the city to restore it instead; the refurbished bridge was finished in 1995, complete with the original three paint colors specified by Lindenthal and the six copper finials that top the portals at either end.
Smithfield Street Bridge letterpress notecardFor a lot of Pittsburghers, though, it's not the bridge's history that makes it so special -- it's the more recent past and the memories it holds for us. I remember going to the Grand Concourse for brunch with my family on birthdays and holidays, and watching the boats going under the bridge as we ate. I have friends who walk across the bridge to work every day, and others who grew up riding the streetcar across to go Christmas shopping in the city every December (they always met up at the Kaufmann's Clock too, but we'll save that story for another post!).
Do you have any stories, memories, or little-known-facts about the Smithfield Street Bridge? If you do, share them in the comments below! And if you're interested in learning more about the bridge's history, here's a few great links to check out:
Road Along the Shore (Crescent City, CA, Pittsburgh, PA): Cities & Streets: episode #13
Visit the Northern Californian Coastal town of Crescent City in Del Norte County. See the noisy Sea Lions at the harbor, visit the Citizen’s Dock prior to the 2011 tsunami. See a possible Sea Monster or two in the chilly Pacific Ocean. Take a brief tour of the grounds at the Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City, CA.
Also visit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and stroll through some of the streets downtown. See the Duquesne Incline, Point State Park, Ohio River, Allegheny River and, Monongahela River confluence, get glimpses of the Carnegie Science Center, Heinz Field and PNC Park sports arenas, see the Sixth Street Bridge also known as, the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Peek at Market Square and get great views of the David L. Lawrence convention center and Steel Town skyline.
Also visit the Del Norte county coastline and see the Pacific Ocean bring waves to the California shore. Hike Enderts Beach Road along Nickel Creek and see where the northern California rain flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Return to Paris and climb the stairs around Sacré-Cœur, Square Louise-Michel and Montmartre, take in the breathtaking views of the city, see the Eiffel Tower on the horizon.
Cities & Streets brings you Episode #13 where we visit the foggy bay of Crescent City and see Sea Lions, the Battery Point Lighthouse. We also travel around the streets of Pittsburgh, PA, we hike a path in Del Norte county to the Pacific Ocean and then jet over to Paris to climb stairs and see portions of the skyline.
Hosted by Camden Barbour, experienced traveler and guide, who brings you stunning views, breathtakingly edited video and original music from CB Radio and His Dashboard Speakers.
The travel program is produced by Camden and Sharon Barbour, who bring to the screen their adventures and provide light travel tips and historical information.
All rights reserved, copyright Camden Barbour - Published by Yet Unknown Publishing, Alviso, California.
Visit Cities & Streets:
YetUnknownPublishing.com
CitiesandStreets.com
Pittsburgh:Three Rivers Heritage Trail
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The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is such an amazing place to visit. If you are looking for things to do in Pittsburgh then visit this trail should be on your list. Here you will be able to see some of the best views in Pittsburgh and enjoy the gorgeous surrounding environment.
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Equipment used;
Canon 80d
Canon 50mm f/1.8
49mm ND Filter
Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
77mm ND Filter
Fluid Drag Head
Microphone
Microphone Cover
Tripod
Monopod
Stool
Wireless Mic’s
Grey Card for Setting Color Balance
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I have no rights to this sound & No copyright infringement is purposed.
Buddha by Kontekst Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
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Reactions From People, Recent Downtown Violence
Many people who were walking through Market Square at lunch hours had the recent violence on their mind; KDKA’s Brenda Waters reports.
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. Clemente spent eighteen Major League Baseball seasons playing in the National League as a right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined. His death established the precedent that, as an alternative to the five-year retirement period, a deceased player for at least six months is eligible for entry into the Hall of Fame.
Clemente was an All-Star for twelve seasons and fifteen All-Star Games. He was the NL Most Valuable Player in 1966, the NL batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and a Gold Glove winner for twelve consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972. His batting average was over .300 for thirteen seasons and he had 3,000 major league hits during his career. He also played in two World Series championships. Clemente is the first Latin American and Caribbean player to help win a World Series as a starter, to receive an NL MVP Award, and to receive a World Series MVP Award.
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Creative Commons image source in video
Channel 11 News at Noon
The Channel 11 News Team presents the latest information on the events of the morning and timely updates on local sports, weather conditions and traffic issues. More Pittsburgh News: wpxi.com