Parkway East Interchange - Forest Hills / Wilkinsburg - Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA

View south on Ardmore Blvd: Ramp A, Parkway East, Ramp D

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OFFICIAL NAME:
Penn Lincoln Parkway East - Interchange 10 - Forest Hills
[mileage-based interchange # 8A]

Penn Lincoln Parkway East - Interchange 11 - Wilkinsburg
[mileage-based interchange # 8B]

Ardmore Blvd Interchange

SR8012

OTHER DESIGNATION:
Lincoln Hwy Interchange

LOCATION:
Wilkinsburg, Forest Hills, Braddock Hills

USGS 7.5" Topo Quad - UTM Coordinates:
Braddock - Zone 17; 0595 4476 [eastern portion in 0596 4476]

CARRIES:
-- eastbound entrance to Parkway East [I-376, US22, US30] from Ardmore Blvd [US30, Lincoln Hwy, PA8]
-- eastbound exit from Parkway East [I-376, US22, US30] to Ardmore Blvd [US30, Lincoln Hwy, PA8]

-- westbound entrance to Parkway East [I-376, US22, US30] from Ardmore Blvd [US30, Lincoln Hwy, PA8]
-- westbound exit from Parkway East [I-376, US22, US30] to Ardmore Blvd [US30, Lincoln Hwy, PA8]

BETWEEN:

CROSSES:
Forest Hills interchange:
-- Parkway mainline crosses Ardmore Blvd [PA8]
-- Parkway mainline crosses Ramp A
-- Ramp A: passes under Ramp D, crosses Ramp G, passes under mainline of Parkway, crosses Ardmore Blvd, carrying westbound entrance from NB Ardmore Blvd [US30, Lincoln Hwy]
-- Ramp D: crosses Parkway mainline, crosses Ardmore Blvd, crosses Ramp A, carrying eastbound entrance from Ardmore Blvd [US30, Lincoln Hwy, PA8]

Wilkinsburg interchange:
-- Parkway mainline crosses Ramp G

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION / DESIGN:
Forest Hills interchange:
-- Parkway mainline over Ardmore Blvd (station 1043+05): steel arch, two steel girder side spans
-- Parkway mainline over Ramp A: reinforced concrete rigid frame segmental arch
-- Ramp A over Ramp G: reinforced concrete rigid frame segmental arch
-- Ramp A over Ardmore Blvd: steel arch
-- Ramp D over Parkway mainline: riveted plate girder simple span, non-parallel flanges
-- Ramp D over Ardmore Blvd: steel arch
-- Ramp D over Ramp A: reinforced concrete rigid frame segmental arch

Wilkinsburg interchange:
-- Parkway mainline over Ramp G (station 1054+00): riveted plate girder simple span, acute skew

LENGTH OF MAIN SPAN:
Forest Hills interchange:
-- Parkway mainline over Ardmore Blvd: 71 ft, 150 ft, 49 ft
-- Parkway mainline over Ramp A: 56 ft est
-- Ramp A over Ramp G: 46 ft est
-- Ramp A over Ardmore Blvd: 140 ft
-- Ramp D over Parkway mainline: 109 ft
-- Ramp D over Ardmore Blvd: 132 ft
-- Ramp D over Ramp A: 46 ft

Wilkinsburg interchange:
-- Parkway mainline over Ramp G: 72 ft 6 in

TOTAL LENGTH (including longest elevated ramp):
-- Parkway mainline over Ardmore Blvd: 274 ft
-- Ramp A over Ardmore Blvd:
-- Ramp D over Ardmore Blvd:

HEIGHT OF DECK:
Forest Hills interchange:
-- Parkway mainline over Ardmore Blvd: 14 ft clearance in outside lanes
-- Parkway mainline over Ramp A:
-- Ramp A over Ramp G:
-- Ramp A over Ardmore Blvd:
-- Ramp D over Parkway mainline:
-- Ramp D over Ardmore Blvd:
-- Ramp D over Ramp A:

Wilkinsburg interchange:
-- Parkway mainline over Ramp G:

YEAR ERECTED / ENGINEER:
1948, PA Dept of Highways

ADDITIONAL INFO:
The name Penn Lincoln Highway commemorates the joining of the William Penn Highway [US22] and the Lincoln Highway [US30]. The Ardmore Blvd interchange provides the connection with the Lincoln Highway. Before the Parkway, the Lincoln Highway continued to Pittsburgh via Penn Av through Wilkinsburg.

The first section of the Parkway East was built between the William Penn Hwy in Wilkins Twp and Ardmore Blvd. Construction began July 25, 1946 and was completed in October, 1948. Other sections of the highway to the west would be opened in phases (1952 to Braddock Av, 1953 through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel). Johnson, Drake & Piper of New York was responsible for construction of the 1.74 miles from US22 to US30. Dinardo, Inc., of Pittsburgh erected the bridges within the Ardmore Blvd interchange.

When the interchange was planned, this area was generally wide open farm land and the sprawling complex includes over 3 miles of ramps and eight bridges. Surprisingly for all its complexity, the original layout overlooked an important link. An additional ramp was added late in 1953 to connect Ramp A with Ramp D, thus allowing northbound Ardmore Blvd traffic to enter the eastbound Parkway.

The signature feature of this interchange is the triplet steel arch bridges spanning Ardmore Blvd. Of the three, the central span carries the Parkway mainline with a 150 foot center span; the others each carry an entrance ramp with spans of 140 ft and 132 ft. Perhaps the engineers intended to make a design statement here where the original Lincoln joined the Parkway. Two trolleys tracks once filled the median of Ardmore Blvd. After the tracks were removed, special landscaping and a grass median set the Lincoln Highway apart [Ardmore Blvd] as it approaches from the southwest.

The original bridge carrying the Parkway West over Campbells Run in Robinson Twp was similar in design; that arch bridge was removed when Interstate 79 was built.

Three structures within the interchange are reinforced concrete rigid frame segmental arch spans. Two carry one ramp over another; the third carries US30 westbound traffic under the Parkway mainline. The latter is of longer span as the ramp has a sharp left curve as it passes under the highway. All are similar in design to the bridges which were built the following year (1949) over the Parkway in Edgewood.

Only one of the bridges crosses over the Parkway mainline: Ramp D which serves as the entrance to the eastbound Parkway. The unusual feature of this otherwise simple plate girder span is that the lower chord of the girder is horizontal while the upper chord is inclined to match the rising slope of the ramp. This results in the southern end of the girder having a web dimension almost twice that of the northern end.

The eighth bridge in this interchange carries the Parkway mainline over Ramp G -- the westbound exit to northbound Ardmore Blvd. (There is no direct connect to southbound traffic; a U-turn is required at Brinton Rd. Even with three miles of ramps, this is not a complete interchange.) This bridge is notable for its acute skew. Because it intersects the Parkway centerline at such an angle, and because its span and deck width are nearly equal (about 75 ft each), only one bearing is fixed. The others are of a moveable, sliding type. This allows for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. Ramp G also features a deep cut along its southern edge revealing many layers of coal and sedimentary rock.

FIELD CHECKED:
03-Aug-2001

INFO SOURCES:
fieldcheck; PA Dept of Highways, "Penn Lincoln Parkway", 1953

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Introduction -- Nearby Structures

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Last modified: 08-Aug-2001

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