Update On Carrie Furnace Hot Metal Bridge.

Submitted by Cooch98 t3_127nu65 in pittsburgh

I work for the county and we just had a large meeting yesterday about the Hot Metal Bridge. Currently the county and consulting parties are discussing design ideas on just about every detail possible. The designs should be finalized by the end of the year and construction to make it a pedestrian, cycling bridge should start next spring, and tenitivley should open to the public by summer of 2025. However, were still gonna need to get a lot more funding for this project which could delay the project, so I'd aim for a 2026 summer opening. Ask any questions you'd like and I'll try to answer the best I can.

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PGHxplant t1_jef3z8j wrote

What is the north end going to connect to? The Duck Hollow trail ends more than a mile away and really isn't useful for much anyway. Besides that, it would be extremely helpful to have a safe and convenient way from the GAP to Swissvale Station. Biking across the Rankin Bridge and getting to the East Busway is a nightmare.

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Watchyousuffer t1_jef4y48 wrote

I believe swissvale is working on plans to make a trail down to carrie furnace - I think from les getz park? I haven't been following the project closely and could be way off though.

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CalamityCactus t1_jefr2wm wrote

I dream of a trail that connects Duck Hollow, the GAP, and the Hazelwood trail. That would create an awesome linkage especially if Swissvale made it easier to get from Les Getz to the busway. That would help that whole area.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefntx3 wrote

It is going to connect to a new trail by the riverfront of the Carrie Furnace site. As for where that is going to connect or how far it will go I have no clue.

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dfiler t1_jefyg80 wrote

There is a protected bike lane along carrie furnace blvd that takes you up to the rankin bridge.

There is also public money for designing the link eastward to the Westmorland Heritage Trail.

If the underpass is opened under the railraod, there is a gravel road that connects to Duck hollow and Bradock. Also, opening that underpass leads to a second underpass and a set of steps under the other set of tracks. This leads to an old parking lot for steelworkers. From there you can take amazing singletrack trail all the way back to frick park without ever crossing a road. Or you can go up a steep paved driveway on the border of swissvale and rankin. The very top crosses private land briefly but i'm guessing there's an easement that would allow it to be opened back up.

The gravel road and singletrack is already extremely popular with cyclists. Connecting this to the GAP will open up so many more opportunities for people in the area.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jeg0p8c wrote

I agree that would be awesome if that all connects as I’m getting into biking. But that’s going to be up to the boroughs if they want to connect a bike trail to the GAP. I just work on the bridge so i basically know nothing what’s happening trail connecting wise. But since we’re investing millions into this bridge I’m sure there’s a plan in place for trial connections that I just don’t know about yet.

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PGHxplant t1_jefpd1o wrote

Huh. I'll try hard then to keep the sarcasm in check and recognize this is likely way beyond your influence. But frankly--and especially if funding is still in question--the sponsors' answer to "What does it do and what problems does it solve?" probably needs to be better than "Cross the Mon" followed by a shrug.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefy2xb wrote

It’s likely that’s being done by the individual boroughs for them to communicate to each one and how they want which trials to connect. I specifically just help with the bridge.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefzha4 wrote

Also for your funding question. The sponsor is just government money. No company is funding this project. I believe 6 million is coming from federal ARPA grants (American Rescue Plan Act) for Covid relief. Basically grants were applied to for this project in early Covid days and it was awarded due to the needed of safe outdoor distressed economically impacted areas and through a lot of paper work, we got the grant. The consulting parties I talked about are just that, consulting. They voice their opinions and talk about how they want the bridge to look, their designs, and alike and what to be kept and not kept. But ultimately my bosses boss makes the final say on just about everything.

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PGHxplant t1_jego791 wrote

Sorry, based on the downvotes I was clearly misconstrued and it's my own fault. I love this project, I'm proud that my taxes are being spent on it, and I can't wait to use it. It just seems to lack the overall vision compared to the Brilliant Branch Bridge project, whose proponents make a clear case about why it should be reconstructed and what they envision will be improved by doing it.

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lvngstndm t1_jeey2e6 wrote

I'm a civil design professional with experience in pedestrian infrastructure and public infrastructure grant funding - this bridge was a childhood hotspot of mine and I'm very interested in this project.

OP - Do you know What organizations/companies are specifically tasked with this project? I know URA owns the site, do you have any info on state/local organizations who will be involved?

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LostEnroute t1_jef50va wrote

>I know URA owns the site,

Where did you read this?

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lvngstndm t1_jef91wu wrote

May be wrong on this- I remember there being a sign on the fencing by the bridge but I may have mixed up URA with RAAC.

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LostEnroute t1_jefaxh9 wrote

I don't think the URA does anything outside of the City, that's why I doubted it.

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Kyle_From_Pitt t1_jefiayr wrote

I’m fairly certain RIDC owns it

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dfiler t1_jefxwrp wrote

There is an RIDC development in Rankin. RAAC owns the bridge and much of the other land. Rivers of steels owns Carrie Furnace in swissvale (or at least they did).

Normally, property lines and ownership can be seen on the county GIS website:
https://openac-alcogis.opendata.arcgis.com/apps/b4b1dbb65b4943538425bb5ae0f8f62b/explore

But for some reason, many of the nearby parcels are missing data right now. Perhaps they changed hands recently.

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tesla3by3 t1_jef8fzv wrote

The Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County owns most of the land on the Swissvale/rankin side. Some is railroad right of way as well

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefn7w4 wrote

RAAC/ACED Owns the bridge and Carrie Furnace site. Mackin Engineering is the company that will be doing the designs and construction. As for the consulting parties that includes: SHPO, RIDC, Rivers of Steel, friends of the riverfront, and a few more I can’t remember off the top of my head. So far we have $6 million in funding but it’s estimated it’s gonna take about $10 million.

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Maumee-Issues t1_jeftjr7 wrote

The city of pittsburgh had like a 50m dollar surplus last year if I'm not wrong. Maybe they could get some sort of politics thing for some cash.

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LostEnroute t1_jefw2xg wrote

The City of Pittsburgh has nothing to do with this project, it's not part of the City.

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Maumee-Issues t1_jegiy7r wrote

I know, why I was thinking some sort of political deal between parties seeking funding could be made. Not that's it's likely to happen or be possible.

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Maumee-Issues t1_jegj7ao wrote

I hate tax money sitting unused if there's no reason to save up (if there is a reason let me know)

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Maumee-Issues t1_jegj4lt wrote

Also I have no idea what it'd look! I just was casually reading the city budget to see how pittsburgh money is spent when I saw this post.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefunt9 wrote

Getting Funding for any project is crazy complicated as far as I have seen (only been here for 6 weeks) I know 3 million is coming from federal Covid Relief funding.

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OcelotWolf t1_jeezdi0 wrote

Can y’all come up with a new name for it next?

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Pennsylvasia t1_jef1674 wrote

oh god, Dollar Bank People's Natural Gas Duquesne Light Carrie Furnace Hot Metal Bridge Powered by Bowser Driven by Kia Presented by Dick's. Tell 'em Colin Dunlap sent ya. just you watch.

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OcelotWolf t1_jef1cpo wrote

Minutes from the Mall!

(nobody said how many minutes, nor which mall)

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enraged_hbo_max_user t1_jef8frg wrote

Schultzford.com You Schultzford.com forgot Schultzford.com Schultzford.com. Schultzford.com

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malepitt t1_jef5320 wrote

it will officially be known as "No, the Other Hot Metal Bridge"

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mrsrtz t1_jef5m0y wrote

Son of Hot Metal Bridge, Part Deux.

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BeefyHoagie t1_jefsdw0 wrote

Don’t Talk to Me or My Hot Metal Bridge Son Ever Again

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SteamDome t1_jef7ggf wrote

Are you guys going to scrap the rail that’s on the bridge or Preserve it? I’m a member of Youngstown Steel Heritage & the J&L narrow gauge railroad and our Founder Rick Rowlands is a contractor and Carrie Furnace so we’d be interested in the rail if it’s not going to be used.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefp1re wrote

As for now that’s still up in the air. Mackin and the consulting parties like the idea of keeping the tracks at the begging of the bridge where they split. But that will be challenging as they have to pour concrete to be level will the rails which is smooth and rounded off and not squared off. Also they will have to add some sort of clear coat on the rail to cyclist don’t slide and fall when they are wet. They might get rid of the ones on the bridge, but who knows that’s still months away and many more meeting and discussions to get through.

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El_Gato_Gigante t1_jeg1w8g wrote

>the Hot Metal Bridge

The first step, in my opinion, is to avoid confusion and stop calling it this. This will help make the idea more accessible to the public, if that makes sense. My first thought was why the hell the county is messing with a bridge/pedestrian walkway that was fixed up not that long ago.

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FuzzPunkMutt t1_jeey4nq wrote

I rode across the Hot Metal Bridge a few days ago; is this a new bridge near the furnace or are they re-building the current bridge?

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Eubadom t1_jeeyhxa wrote

It's the abandoned bridge along the GAP just past the Waterfront. It's being repurposed.

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_jeezof7 wrote

It's 2 different bridges with the same name.

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tinacat933 t1_jefax6l wrote

Why?

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leadfoot9 t1_jefexwj wrote

I think it's because the moniker is just descriptive:
It was a bridge used to cart hot, liquid metal across the river from one part of a steel plant to another.

So, it may have been a mistake to start referring to "The" Hot Metal Bridge.

Also, I recently learned that, on the South Side, the Hot Metal bridge is properly the bike/pedestrian bridge. The car bridge is the Monongahela Railroad Bridge or something like that.

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_jeferyq wrote

Because both carried hot metal across the river. It was quite common for a plant to span the river with a bridge in between.

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tinacat933 t1_jeflr6j wrote

Right, but having the same name isn’t super confusing or anything.

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_jefp2tk wrote

these bridges were just factory bridges. So there was no reason to name it anything else. Cars carrying molten material just went back and forth.

I guess it would be up to the people rehabbing the current unused hot metal bridge to change it.

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beefbarley t1_jef82p2 wrote

Is it the one right next to the Glenwood bridge? Like at Sandcastle?

Edit: it's not. It's next to the Rankin Bridge on the other end of the Waterfront

Edit 2: it's also near (I kid you not) Union Railroad Hot Metal Bridge - Port Perry

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Bolmac t1_jegi3l9 wrote

The one you’re thinking of still carries local train traffic.

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wagsman t1_jef7a7s wrote

Is this that old railroad bridge next to Sandcastle or is it the one on the other side of Homestead waterfront?

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefwazq wrote

It’s the one that connects to the Carrie Furnace Site by Rankin

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fugly16 t1_jef0l6p wrote

If I learned anything from my stint working for the County, is if you're expecting an opening by summer 2025 it'll be more like summer of 2028.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefv4m7 wrote

That’s very likely true, the only hope is though is that one of our big federal grants expires end of next year so we have to spend it to get reimbursed.

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fugly16 t1_jefvr7l wrote

Gonna guess you work for ACED. Tell Lance what's up for me (ex Asian co-worker)

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hsavvy t1_jefhonu wrote

This would have made my college walk of shames from Southside even better

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BeefyHoagie t1_jefsjtg wrote

Must have been pretty blacked out to end up over by the Carrie Furnace hehe

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NoRice5703 t1_jefepmy wrote

Is this the end of Glory Daze?😵‍💫

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deadeyedopie t1_jefvn27 wrote

They built the Empire State Building in less time.

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Cooch98 OP t1_jeg2bg1 wrote

True but that was before the fair labor standard Act. So you could just pay people a quarter an hour and no overtime or benefits or really anything. Plus that was financed from private companies. Which makes it a lot easier when you have the power of a blank check and tell construction companies to build the tallest building in NYC as fast as you can.

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mckills t1_jeg2swl wrote

All those are true, but America is absolutely abysmal at building infrastructure relative to our peer countries

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Cooch98 OP t1_jeg4ly3 wrote

I agree America sucks compared to many others with infrastructure. Just on my lunch break earlier my friend that lives in Columbus and I were imaging if there was a high speed train from Pittsburgh to Columbus (where he lives) we would see each other so much more often instead we have to make the 3 drive every few months.

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deadeyedopie t1_jeg4sg9 wrote

And lead times for contractors and materials are crazy long right now

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Cooch98 OP t1_jeg7tim wrote

Oh don’t even get me started. CAD techs, bridge inspectors. Mangers. Everyone for this engineering company was earning like 150/hour

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bradbreneisen t1_jeftg43 wrote

Is it going to collapse?

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Cooch98 OP t1_jefxiq3 wrote

Nope just repurposed

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bradbreneisen t1_jeg3oql wrote

Most people call hot metal the bridge that is on hot metal street this post is super confusing cause it’s not about that bridge that goes by AE. Important distinction.

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