The Boston Bridge is a structure that crosses the Youghiogheny River between Versailles and Elizabeth Township, Pennsylvania. Its name is derived from the Massachusetts city only indirectly: the bridge is named for the Boston neighborhood of Elizabeth Township, which in turn was named for the New England city.

Boston Bridge
Boston Bridge in September 2014.
Coordinates40°18′46″N 79°49′42″W / 40.3128°N 79.8283°W / 40.3128; -79.8283
Carries PA 48
CrossesYoughiogheny River
LocaleVersailles and Elizabeth Township, Pennsylvania
Characteristics
Designcantilever bridge
Total length1181 f
Width30 ft
History
OpenedOctober 13, 1932[1]
Location
Map

The bridge, which opened on October 13, 1932, carries Pennsylvania Route 48 on two relatively narrow lanes. Many of its features were carefully preserved during a 1989 rehabilitation, down to its original pedestrian railings. Designed entirely for vehicular traffic, the structure changed the future of Elizabeth Township; the lack of streetcar tracks led to the abandonment of a line that served the then-rural community's small industrial settlements, while the newfound ease of access for motorists to the area's manufacturing regions opened up the township to suburbanization.

References

edit
  1. ^ "New Boston Bridge Opened to Traffic". The Pittsburgh Press. October 14, 1932. p. 4. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
edit

40°18′46″N 79°49′42″W / 40.3128°N 79.8283°W / 40.3128; -79.8283