Pittsburgh bridge recognized

Pittsburgh’s West Ohio Street Bridge has been recognized by the American Society of Highway Engineers for the work that replaced the old span on the North Side. (larsondesigngroup.com) Larson Design Group, which provided construction inspection services on the job, says the project received a 2022 American Society of Highway Engineers Outstanding Highway Engineering Award. The bridge carries West Ohio Street over Norfolk Southern railroad tracks near Allegheny Commons Park. (larsondesigngroup.com) The replacement project swapped out a two-lane structure for a new 67-foot, single-span plate girder bridge built on the existing abutments. The work also included 966 linear feet of roadway reconstruction, plus lighting, signing, decorative fencing, and utility work. (larsondesigngroup.com) The bridge had been closed since January 2018 because of deterioration in the 117-year-old structure it replaced. City officials said the rebuilt crossing reopened to vehicles, pedestrians, and transit in October 2021 as the $6.25 million project neared completion. (triblive.com) The recognition lands in a city where bridge condition has stayed under close scrutiny since the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in January 2022. Pittsburgh says it owns 143 active bridges that connect 90 neighborhoods across its steep terrain. (pittsburghpa.gov, engage.pittsburghpa.gov) The American Society of Highway Engineers is a professional group for highway and bridge engineers, and its Pittsburgh section says its mission is to promote a safe, efficient, and sustainable highway system. That gives the West Ohio Street award the feel of a peer recognition from the industry that designs and inspects this kind of work. (pittsburgh.ashe.pro) The West Ohio Street project also shows how small urban bridge jobs can extend beyond the deck itself. Larson Design Group says inspectors coordinated with Norfolk Southern, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, ALCOSAN, Duquesne Light, Peoples Gas, Verizon, and other utility stakeholders during construction. (larsondesigngroup.com) For Pittsburgh, the award puts a finished North Side replacement back in view as the city continues to plan, repair, and monitor a large bridge network. The West Ohio Street Bridge is now one of the recent projects city residents can point to as both reopened and formally recognized. (pittsburghpa.gov, larsondesigngroup.com)