Supposedly Pittsburgh is the only place in the world where you can see three identical suspension bridges in a row: the Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Street Bridges over the Allegheny, now named for Roberto Clemente (because the Sixth Street Bridge leads to the ball park), Andy Warhol (because the Seventh Street Bridge leads to the Andy Warhol Museum), and Rachel Carson (because we’re really proud of Rachel Carson).
7 responses to “The Three Sisters”
[…] Sixth Street or Roberto Clemente bridge, one of the famous Three Sisters that span the Allegheny, glows in the late-afternoon sun. Beyond it, the increasingly cluttered […]
Father Pitt – these bridges are doubly rare – not only are they identical in design, but the design itself is extremely rare. These are self-anchoring suspension bridges. In most suspension bridges – like the 10th street bridge, the suspension cables are anchored to the ground. But that takes room, which is one reason why Pittsburgh has very few suspension bridges. On these bridges, the cables are anchored to the deep trusses that separate the roadway from the walkways. In essence, the dead-weight of the truss puts tension in the cables, and the bridge suspends itself. They were built in 1928, based on a German prototype, and I don’t know of any others like them.
[…] Sixth Street or Roberto Clemente bridge, one of the famous Three Sisters, seen from the North […]
[…] The Seventh Street or Andy Warhol Bridge, the middle of the famous Three Sisters. […]
[…] The Seventh Street or Andy Warhol Bridge, the middle of the famous Three Sisters. […]
[…] city with more bridges than any other city on earth, this is the only cable suspension bridge. (The Three Sisters are held up by steel rods rather than […]
[…] Three Sisters bridges have a new lighting scheme. Above, the Roberto Clemente or Sixth Street Bridge; below, the […]