Brownsville Bridge
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in 1914 by the Fort Pitt Bridge Works, the Brownsville Bridge is a steel pin-connected Pennsylvania (Petit) through truss carrying vehicular traffic across the Monongahela River between Fayette and Washington counties. Its main span measures 519.17 feet overall, and it is built from channels, lacing bars, plates and eyebars. The bridge's design was credited to G. Porter, Hermann and Armstrong, and the superstructure steel was supplied by Jones and Laughlin. The bridge was resurfaced in 1948 and repaired in 1966. Its importance lies in engineering: it is one of eight representative examples of the Pennsylvania (Petit) truss included in a multiple resource nomination of Commonwealth highway bridges, and its span is significantly longer than all the others of that type. The surrounding area is rural and largely undeveloped.
Significance in brief: The form argues the bridge is unusually long for its type, spanning 519 feet, and is heavily engineered from channels, lacing bars, plates and eyebars. It is one of eight representative Pennsylvania (Petit) truss examples in the multiple resource nomination, and its span is significantly longer than all the others. The area of significance checked is engineering.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000834, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | LR 268 over Monongahela River, Brownsville |
|---|---|
| County | Fayette County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000834 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1914 |
| Architect / builder | G. Porter, Hermann & Armstrong (designer/engineer); Fort Pitt Bridge Works (builder/contractor) |
| Architectural style | Pennsylvania (Petit) truss |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered in 1966 with repairs; the form notes the bridge is very rusty. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.02227, -79.89026 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000834.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4976779
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.