Brown Rd over East Branch Big Sewickley Creek - Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA

Downstream arch face, view west

More detail photos

OFFICIAL NAME:

OTHER DESIGNATION:
Brown Rd over East Branch Big Sewickley Creek
SE01
ambr573-2

LOCATION:
Franklin Park

USGS 7.5" Topo Quad - UTM Coordinates:
Ambridge - Zone 17; 0573 4495

CARRIES:
Brown Rd

BETWEEN:
-- off Big Sewickley Creek Rd, west of State Gamelands Rd

CROSSES:
-- East Branch Big Sewickley Creek

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION / DESIGN:
stone arch
locally-quarried sandstone
outer spandrel wall: rock-faced coursed ashlar
upper walls and parapets: dressed coursed ashlar
arch ring: dressed voussoirs in segmental arch

LENGTH OF MAIN SPAN:
25 ft

TOTAL LENGTH (including longest elevated ramp):
78.5 ft
19.5 ft wide, between parapets at center

HEIGHT OF DECK:
Lowest part of arch at abutments, 3.5 ft above creek

YEAR ERECTED / ENGINEER:
1891, Charles Davis

ADDITIONAL INFO:
The 1985 edition of "Landmark Architecture: Pittsburgh and Allegheny County" by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation includes this structure as the best example of its like.

It is the second oldest bridge, in so far as can be positively dated by a builder's plaque, designed by Charles Davis, Allegheny County Engineer. The 1889 Woodland Rd bridge over Little Sewickley Creek in Edgeworth was also a collaboration with William Dickson as builder.

Secluded on a dead end road, local residents mow a patch of a grass below the bridge giving a parklike setting. Unfortunately its seclusion has allowed vandals to add their spray-painted graffitti.

A true stone arch, the voissoirs in the arch ring range in depth from 2'-8" at the abutments to 1'-10" at the keystone.

A polished granite tablet is embedded at the center of the upstream parapet:

BUILT BY ALLEGHENY COUNTY, 1891.

--- . ---

ROBERT. E. MERCER,
JAMES G. WEIR,
DENNIS J. BOYLE, COMMISIONERS

JAMES A. GRIER, CONTROLLER

CHARLES DAVIS, ENGINEER
--- . ---

WILLIAM DICKSON, BUILDER

Due to the relative seclusion of this corner of Allegheny County, several older bridges can be found nearby -- illustrating the changing technology at 10 year intervals. Brown Rd spans the East Branch of Big Sewickley Creek with one of Davis' earliest stone arch bridges [1891]. A little over one-half mile north along Warrrendale & Bayne Rd, a pair of 1900 girder bridges may be found. North of these girder bridges along Warrrendale & Bayne Rd, a pair of concrete bridge span Big Sewickley Creek. The bridge on Spang Rd was built in 1910 as one of the earliest examples of what replaced Davis's stone arch bridges. A similar bridge at Markman Park Rd shows the concrete arch design still in use ten years later.

FIELD CHECKED:
7-Oct-2002

INFO SOURCES:
field check

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Introduction -- Nearby Structures

Page created: 09-Jan-2003
Last modified: 09-Jan-2003

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