As Pittsburgh officials waited Friday to begin a news conference celebrating the new pedestrian bridge connecting Davis Avenue in Brighton Heights with Riverview Park, the dozens of bikers, teens, mothers with strollers and others crossing the 80-foot structure demonstrated its importance more than any politician or community leader ever could.
Jean and Donald DiDonato, both using canes to steady themselves, walked across from their home in Brighton Heights. Donald DiDonato, who grew up in the neighborhood and used to walk to the park as a youngster more than 70 years ago, has missed that opportunity since the former vehicular bridge was demolished in 2010.
Like others, the couple had to drive a long hilly route to get to the park after that and rarely got out of the car. Now, they can walk to the park again after the bridge reopened a couple of weeks ago.
“It was a real loss,” said Jean DiDonato. “Now, this is great, and it’s so wonderful. The workers really did a great job.”
For Tim Kelly of Allepo, the new bridge expands where he can ride his recumbent trike, a three-wheeler where he can lean back while riding. The retired Duquesne Light employee usually starts his rides at the former Western Penitentiary on Pittsburgh’s North Side, and the new bridge provides another option to Riverview Park.
“This opens up a whole new batch of possibilities,” he said. “It’s just a new structure that offers riders new routes, new combinations to get around.”
Elected officials such as state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, said his office had more inquiries about the Davis Avenue Bridge over the years than any other transportation issue.
“Obviously, there’s a need,” Fontana said during the news conference. “My office had more questions and comments about getting this project done than any other. No question.”
Mayor Ed Gainey, who took office after the city began working on the replacement plans, credited groups such as Friends of Riverview Park and Brighton Heights Citizens Federation for their strong lobbying effort to push the project through to completion. He called the bridge “a connector of people” and led the first official walk from the park to Brighton Heights after the news conference.
“You made this bridge happen,” he told the advocates. “You kept it front and center. Be proud of what you did.”
Democratic State Rep. Emily Kinkead, who lives in Brighton Heights, said the bridge has provided her with a new path to take her dog for walks.
“This has been such a game-changer even in the little bit of time it has been open,” she said. “All of you are reminders why this was important.”
Residents pushed for a pedestrian bridge rather than a full replacement because traffic speeding out of the park and into the neighborhood had become a problem. Former Mayor Bill Peduto awarded $4 million for the project in 2021, but it took several more years to find the rest of the funding.
Residents had to wait a little longer than expected for the new bridge. When officials broke ground in April 2024, they expected it to open last fall, but contractor Gregori Construction Inc. had a supply-chain issue with fabricated steel that delayed the completion until spring.
The bridge itself — three trusses of rust-colored weathering steel placed on the original mountings from the 1890s — is finished, but a special art element is still being fabricated and should be in place in a few weeks. Artist Lori Hepner of Brighton Heights has designed a project called “River to Riverview: Breezes Between” that will involve installing 12-foot-tall stainless steel poles with a series of designs on them at each end of the bridge.
The poles will display QR codes that will allow patrons to watch a series of animations about Brighton Heights and the park. Hepner, who was out of town Friday, said in a phone interview the animations will be changed after three years to provide fresh material.
Darian Balcom of Observatory Hill said she’s just happy the bridge is back. “It’s nice to see something new,” she said.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.