The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double-decked bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries Interstate 376 between the Fort Pitt Tunnel and Downtown Pittsburgh. Opened in June 1959 as a replacement for the Point Bridge, the Fort Pitt Bridge was the world's first computer-designed bowstring arch bridge and double-decked bowstring arch bridge. The bridge is known for its difficult lane changes, especially on the lower level, often requiring people to go from the extreme left lane across two lanes to the extreme right lane in only 700 feet. The upper level is more forgiving for some routes but still requires a full span lane change in 700 feet to get from the south side entrance to the downtown exits.
Fort Pitt Bridge
Image: Fort Pitt Bridge lower level
Image: Fort Pitt Bridge 3
A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward-directed horizontal forces of the arch(es) are borne as tension by a chord tying the arch ends rather than by the ground or the bridge foundations. This strengthened chord may be the deck structure itself or consist of separate, independent tie-rods.
The Fort Pitt Bridge. The arches terminate atop slender raised piers and are tied by the road deck structure.
A rail bridge in Argos, Peloponnese featuring multiple tied arches.
Erkkilä Bridge in Tampere, Finland
Fremont Bridge in Portland, Oregon.