{"id":1573,"date":"2013-07-24T11:07:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-24T11:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=1573"},"modified":"2015-04-30T14:51:07","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T18:51:07","slug":"pittsburghs-bridge-to-nowhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/07\/24\/pittsburghs-bridge-to-nowhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh’s bridge to nowhere"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Photos: <\/a>
(Photos: From the Heinz History Center, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development Collection) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"(Photos: <\/a>
(Photos: From the Heinz History Center, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development Collection) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"(Photos: <\/a>
(Photos: From the Heinz History Center, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development Collection) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The Fort Duquesne Bridge now serves as a connection between Downtown and the North Side, spanning the Allegheny River. But that wasn\u2019t always the case.<\/p>\n

The bridge\u2019s main span was finished in 1963. However, according to an article in The Pittsburgh Press, \u201cred tape and governmental disagreement\u201d kept it from being completed for several more years, earning it the nickname \u201cThe Bridge to Nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Police estimated the uncompleted bridge stands about 100 feet over the Allegheny River while the dropoff is about 90 feet from the shoreline \u2014 measured straight ahead.”<\/p>\n

To prevent people from driving across the bridge and plunging to their death, barricades were set up at the Downtown side of the bridge and at the end of the span.<\/p>\n

But that didn\u2019t stop a daredevil Pitt student from attempting a \u201cflight\u201d from the end of the bridge to the North Shore.<\/p>\n

On December 12, 1964, Frederick Williams, 21, of Basking Ridge, N.J. \u2014 a senior majoring in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh \u2014 crashed through the barriers and raced across the span, his station wagon flying through space and landing upside down at the water\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n

Mr. Williams pulled himself from the wreckage, \u201cshaken but unscathed.\u201d He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where he was examined and released. According to the Pittsburgh Press article, he offered no explanation for his historic leap.<\/p>\n

In the wake of the incident, the State Highways Department vowed to replace the broken barricades.<\/p>\n

John S. Yard, assistant district engineer for the department, seemed dumbfounded.<\/p>\n

“We didn\u2019t think it was possible to do anything like that,” he said.<\/p>\n

For more on the Fort Duquesne Bridge and to explore the history of other bridges along the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, check out the Post-Gazette\u2019s interactive, with videos and photos from our archives.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Fort Duquesne Bridge now serves as a connection between Downtown and the North Side, spanning the Allegheny River. But that wasn\u2019t always the case.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesPittsburgh’s bridge to nowhere<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[945],"tags":[962,1024,1025],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/bridge-to-nowhere-1.jpg?fit=1280%2C920&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1992,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/03\/06\/why-there-are-no-more-rock-concerts-in-point-state-park\/","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":0},"title":"Why there are no more rock concerts in Point State Park","date":"March 6, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"The story behind these photographs of bridge jumpers could have had a happy ending. 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