Donald R. Lobaugh Bridge

Donald R. Lobaugh Bridge
View from Harrison Hills overlook.
Coordinates	40°40′07″N 79°41′32″W / 40.6686°N 79.6921°WCoordinates: 40°40′07″N 79°41′32″W / 40.6686°N 79.6921°W
Carries	4 lanes of PA 356
Crosses	Allegheny River
Locale	Buffalo Township and Allegheny Township
Other name(s)	Freeport Bridge
Maintained by	PennDOT District 12-0
Characteristics
Design	cantilever bridge
Material	steel
Longest span	426.0 feet (129.8 m)
Piers in water	2
Clearance below	47.0 feet (14.3 m)
History
Opened	1965

The Donald R. Lobaugh Bridge (commonly known as the Freeport Bridge) is a cantilever bridge that carries vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River between both Buffalo and Allegheny townships in Pennsylvania.

History

Built in 1965,^[1] the bridge marks the boundary between suburban Pittsburgh and the more rural Upper Allegheny. The structure replaced the 1889 Garvers Ferry Bridge, which was extremely deteriorated by the 1950s and that was nearly destroyed in a 1959 barge collision. The bridge's namesake is Donald R. Lobaugh, a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.

The bridge was listed as having a poor deck and substructure and having serious deterioration of its superstructure before having $5 million of emergency steel repairs in 2006/2007. Before the repairs the weight limit was 3 tons; this was increased to the legal load of 40 tons after the repairs.^[2]

The bridge is maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transport 12-0 and was rehabilitated over a period from 2010 to 2013.^[3]

See also

• List of crossings of the Allegheny River

References

1. "Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania - Freeport Bridge". July 4, 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
2. Steve Levin (August 14, 2007). "PennDOT: If bridge is open, it's safe to cross". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
3. "Freeport Bridge Project". Retrieved March 3, 2010.