Ambridge–Aliquippa Bridge

The Ambridge - Aliquippa Bridge is a steel cantilever through truss bridge which crosses the Ohio River at Ambridge, Pennsylvania. The bridge was originally named the Ambridge-Woodlawn Bridge but was soon renamed Ambridge-Aliquippa when Woodland was eclipsed by the rapid expansion of the Aliquippa Works of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company. Ambridge was incorporated in 1910 - named after the American Bridge Company which had significant operations along the Ohio River opposite the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company.The need for a bridge was beyond doubt and long overdue as the towns of Ambridge and Woodlawn, which had populations in the hundreds at the turn of the 20th century, exceeded 40,000 by the late 1920s. In September 1924, the plans for a bridge over the Ohio River linking Ambridge and Woodlawn were revived from earlier ones shelved in 1917 by the outbreak of the First World War. A bond issue for $1.5 million was submitted to county voters and passed in November 1924. In January 1925 the county commissioners petitioned the court and the grand jury for authority to build the bridge and later that month made application to congress for authority to bridge the Ohio. Dravo Contracting submitted the low bid of $144,000 to construct four piers completed on August 13, 1926 one month ahead of schedule. The steel was supplied by the Aliquippa Works for $609,000. The American Bridge Company charged $337,500. Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, which later became Conrail and CSX, paid $39,000 for the portion over its tracks. The total cost with approaches was $1.25 million - completed in record time and within estimates. It opened to the public on opened December 28, 1926.