Monday, February 03, 2025, 5:31AM |  39°
MENU
Advertisement
The new $65.7 million Hulton Bridge, which crosses the Allegheny River connecting Oakmont and Harmar, left, opens Tuesday to replace the older span at right.
3
MORE

New Hulton Bridge opens Tuesday

Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette

New Hulton Bridge opens Tuesday

To respond to emergencies on the old, two-lane Hulton Bridge, Oakmont police had to hire a motorcycle officer, police Chief David DiSanti Sr. recalled.

That and many other problems with congestion will be eliminated Tuesday when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officially opens the new four-lane, $65.7 million replacement bridge crossing the Allegheny River between Oakmont and Harmar. The 1,600-foot bridge was built adjacent to its lilac predecessor and is expected to improve traffic flow and accommodate more than the 26,000 vehicles a day on the old bridge.

“[The new bridge] gives us an ability to get emergency vehicles in and out,” Chief DiSanti said. “The old bridge was so narrow we had vehicles hit mirrors at least once a week because there was no margin for error.”

Advertisement

In addition to more lanes, the new bridge will have a 4-foot-wide median, a 6-foot shoulder, a bicycle lane and a 5-foot-wide sidewalk on the downriver side featuring observation areas.

The Greenfield Bridge, which crosses above the Parkway East to join Greenfield with Schenley Park, was one of seven open-span concrete arch bridges built by the city.
Ed Blazina
Closing of Greenfield Bridge represents bygone era of architecture

One item of concern for police is that new motorists using the bridge may not be aware that the Oakmont side the bridge empties to is a 15-mph school zone at Riverview High School. Riverview students walk to school, creating a potentially dangerous situation, the chief said.

“We are a pedestrian-traveling community,” Chief DiSanti said. “We want people to be very cognizant that they will be going through a school zone, and we will have officers there to enforce it.”

Oakmont’s vibrant business community is looking forward to the bridge being open on a full-time basis, said Summer Tissue, executive director of the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce. The bridge has been closed for the past two weeks and was closed for two weeks in June for construction.

Advertisement

“The first time was really difficult because it was construction season and other roads were being paved, too,” Miss Tissue said. “This time, although it has been difficult, it was easier because we didn’t have anything else going on at the same time.”

That will end on Tuesday.

The new bridge also will feature two left-turn lanes onto the bridge for motorists traveling south on Freeport Road and two lanes from the bridge to Allegheny Avenue in Oakmont.

“This will definitely give people easier access to Oakmont,” Miss Tissue said. “It’s hard to be welcoming when you have construction vehicles everywhere.”

PennDOT is scheduled to implode the old bridge into the Allegheny River sometime in January. 

Correction (posted Oct. 19, 2015): An earlier version incorrectly noted which communities the bridge spans. The Hulton Bridge connects Oakmont to Harmar.

First Published: October 19, 2015, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
PNC Bank corporate headquarters in Downtown.
1
business
PNC accused of short-changing clients in low-yield accounts
President Richard M. Nixon, who named the “Madman Theory” for scaring other nations into doing what the U.S. wanted. President Donald Trump has adopted it for his own foreign policy. Here Nixon points to transcripts of conversations in the Oval Office, which would later help force him to resign.
2
opinion
David M. Shribman: Donald Trump acts on Richard Nixon’s ‘madman theory’
FILE - A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with Denali in the background. Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent, is located about 60 miles northwest of Talkeetna.
3
news
Alaskans say Trump can change the name of Denali but can't make people call it Mount McKinley
Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka catches a touchdown pass as Oregon defensive back Brandon Johnson defends during the first half in the quarterfinals of the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif.
4
sports
Brian Batko’s post-Senior Bowl Steelers 7-round mock draft: Best playmaker available
Pittsburgh Penguins' Rickard Rakell (67) celebrates after scoring with Sidney Crosby (87) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
5
sports
Jason Mackey: How a ‘whirlwind’ 24 hours may have helped the Penguins steady themselves
The new $65.7 million Hulton Bridge, which crosses the Allegheny River connecting Oakmont and Harmar, left, opens Tuesday to replace the older span at right.  (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)
The new Hulton Bridge crossing the Allegheny River between Harmar and Oakmont will open Tuesday, officials announced today.  (Nate Guidry/Post-Gazette)
One of many “detour” signs for the closure of Hulton Road that have been up for months during construction of the new Hulton Bridge, which opens to traffic on Tuesday.  (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)
Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST local
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story