Andy Warhol Bridge to reopen in Pittsburgh after $26 million rehab

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Updated Nov 21, 2017
The newly renovated Andy Warhol Bridge in Pittsburgh is ready for traffic. Photo credit: Allegheny CountyThe newly renovated Andy Warhol Bridge in Pittsburgh is ready for traffic. Photo credit: Allegheny County

The rehab of the Andy Warhol Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh is finished, and the bridge reopened November 18 after being closed since August 2016.

Also known as the 7th Street Bridge, it opened in 1926 as one of the first self-anchored suspension bridges in the United States. It is one of the city’s famous three golden “Sister Bridges,” and the first to be repaired under a five-year plan to rehabilitate all three. It was renamed for artist and Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol in 2005.

The $23.59 million bridge work, with Brayman Construction as the prime contractor, involved replacing the deck, repairing structural steel and underwater concrete, and painting it. A new lane configuration was installed, as well as new lighting.

The Rachel Carson Bridge, or 9th Street Bridge, is the next Sister Bridge to be rehabilitated. The work is scheduled to begin next summer and end in Winter 2019; then comes the Roberto Clemente Bridge, or 6th Street Bridge, in Summer 2020, with completion in Winter 2021.

A a time-lapse video of the Warhol Bridge reconstruction is above.

A photo of original construction in 1925 of the 7th Street Bridge, later renamed for artist and Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol. Source: Allegheny County websiteA photo of original construction in 1925 of the 7th Street Bridge, later renamed for artist and Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol. Source: Allegheny County website