Bloomfield Bridge


The Bloomfield Bridge carries four lanes of traffic across a steep ravine between the densely populated Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Bloomfield and Polish Hill.

History

The first Bloomfield Bridge was built in 1914 by the Fort Pitt Bridge Works and was long. It was closed in 1978 and demolished in 1980. The replacement crossing was erected in 1986, after the previous bridge was deemed deficient after years of heavy traffic, including that of popular Pittsburgh Railways streetcar lines until their 1960s conversion to buses. Although the first Bloomfield Bridge was closed in 1978, state funding issues halted work on the construction of a successor until 1984.

Location

On the Bloomfield side of the bridge, connections are made to Liberty Avenue, the commercial heart of the traditionally Italian neighborhood. On the Polish Hill side, PA 380 can be accessed, which runs toward Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland, the home of several major universities.
The Bloomfield Bridge spans a large number of railroad tracks, which are portions of lines managed by CSX and Norfolk Southern. The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, a bus rapid transit system, also traverses the ravine. Also under the edifice is a community football and baseball field. Originally known as Dean's Field, it is historically significant as the place where Johnny Unitas played semi-pro football before jumpstarting his NFL career. After a shootout that killed three police officers, the area was renamed after a fallen officer who resided nearby.