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Early Point Bridges - Early Proposals

An important project in 1846 was to span the rivers at their junction with a tri-partite bridge, starting from the Point at the confluence of the two rivers, spanning with one trunk half of the breadth of the confluent streams and diverging on the breast of the bar into two trunks spanning also the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers. A company was formed and chartered by the legislature (10) and stock subscriptions were called for, one gentleman putting his name down for $50,000. The structure was designed to cost $300,000, but only 500 shares at $500 each for a total of $250,000 were authorized. Rivermen and their friends combated the project on the ground that it would result in the obstruction to the navigation of the rivers. A resolution favoring the construction of this bridge passed the Pittsburgh Select Council by a majority of one and the Select Council by a majority of two. An opposing resolution was passed by the minority in both councils. It was freely predicted that the necessary subscription could not and would not be raised. Whether this was the cause of the failure of the enterprise or whether the numerous railroads then projected usurped public attention and thus smothered interest in the tri-partite bridge would be difficult to state; at any rate, neither the necessary stock was subscribed nor the bridge built. (11) No plans or drawings for this project seemed to have survived.

According to another account the tri-partite bridge scheme was revived again in 1871. Charles Davis, the city engineer of Allegheny, Pennsylvania (12) submitted plans to a company formed at that time to carry out the project. (13) It will be noted that the estimated cost was nearly a million dollars, considerably more than the earlier bridge. The writer, in this case, also has been unable to locate any surviving drawings or plans.

The undertaking failed only for want of proper support from parties who were directly interested in the bridge -- landholders whose property would have been greatly enhanced by the proposed connection.

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