Pghbridges.com

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Pghbridges.com is a reference site created by Bruce S. Cridlebaugh. Formally titled, Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA, pghbridges.com has information on many of the structures of the area. It includes detailed histories and photographs for hundreds of bridges, although since there are over 2000 bridges in the area (with a span of at least 6 feet), not all are included. Coverage is based on historical, architectural, or engineering significance.

The Alexa Traffic Rank [1] for pghbridges.com, (of 1,108,907 as of 25 January 2006), and the Google inward link count [2] (about 140 as of 25 January 2006) are deceptive, as this site is a reference site, not necessarily one with a large user base.

For many of the bridge articles, Bruce has searched the HAER records, and where there was a writeup or report in .tif format, has done the OCR to convert it to text, and made the text available at the site, a great convenience to researchers.

1 Some quotes about the site
2 External links
3 USENET mentions
4 Awards

[edit] Some quotes about the site

"Wow! If there is one thing Pittsburgh should be famous for it is the number of bridges (and tunnels) we have! This is a commendable site, maintained by Bruce S. Cridlebaugh, that provides photographs of the most notable bridges in our area." from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh site (below)

"Technophile Bruce S. Cridlebaugh has compiled this website of information on the bridges and tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh to satisfy his curiosity. The information featured here has been primarily gathered by visiting the various bridges and tunnels and making on-site measurements, sketches, photos and notes. Despite limitations due to the nature of some sites, such as "a given location, private property, high traffic, and so on," he has gathered information on almost 50 structures. Visitors can browse the collection by the structure's location, design, name, or use. Books, magazines, newspapers, maps, and Internet resources used to develop the website are listed in the Information Source section or in the Other Info section. The author also provides an overview of Bridge Basics and explains common terms used in Engineering, Masonry, Metal work, Bridge and Tunnel building, as well as Mapping." - from the university of Wisconsin Scout project site (note, the site now has hundreds of bridges documented, not just 50)

[edit] External links

about pghbridges.com page from the site
Metropolis (urban living magazine) references this site
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh lists this site (second link) on its "Pittsburgh History" page as a resource
New England Institute of Technology lists this site (second link) in the Historical American Bridges section
listed as resource at Structurae
Internet Scout Project (A project promoting math, technology and engineering) of the Mellon foundation lists this site as a resource.
Stanford University Library newsletter lists this site as a resource.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (local paper) mentions the site in a column about unusual hobbies