How Many Bridges Are There in Pittsburgh?

I have heard that Pittsburgh has more bridges than any other city in the world. Just how many bridges are there in Pittsburgh?

First we must define what we call a "bridge". We will use the National Bridge Inspection Standard (NBIS) definition of a structure length of 20 feet or greater. Defining what is meant by "Pittsburgh" is more problematic. Pittsburgh is composed of a large number of small communities that are unified by the city's bridges. What people generally consider "the 'burgh" is a larger area than simply the confines of the city limits. It is appropriate to consider greater Pittsburgh as consisting of Allegheny County.

Next there is the issue of ownership. Various authorities have ownership of individual bridges in the Pittsburgh area. The breakdown is as follows:

Allegheny County: 186
City of Pittsburgh: 74
State owned: 565
Others, including other towns and the Port authority: 119

Thus, there is a total of 944 highway bridges in greater Pittsburgh (Allegheny County). This does not include railroad bridges.

No matter how ya' cut it, there are a heck of a lot of bridges in Pittsburgh.

Source: This information was kindly provided by Mr. Ron Todorowski of PennDOT District 11-0.

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