George D. Stuart Bridge Explained

Bridge Name:	George D. Stuart Bridge
Also Known As:	Tarentum Bridge
Carries:	4 lanes of PA 366
Crosses:	Allegheny River
Locale:	New Kensington and Tarentum
Design:	Deck truss bridge
Mainspan:	428feet
Below:	47.9feet
Open:	1952
Coordinates:	40.5969°N -79.755°W

The George D. Stuart Bridge (commonly known as the Tarentum Bridge or the New Kensington Bridge)^[1] is a steel deck truss bridge that carries vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River between New Kensington and Tarentum in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.^[2]

The bridge was officially renamed as the George D. Stuart Bridge in 1974 by the Pennsylvania State Senate in recognition of the World War I and World War II-era and post-war service of George Donnell Stuart in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

History

Originally named the Tarentum–Valley Heights Bridge, the structure is sometimes referred to today as the New Kensington Bridge. From its opening in 1952 until 1961,^[7] its maintenance was supported by a ten-cent toll.

The name of the bridge was changed by the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1974 to honor George Donnell Stuart,^{[8] [9] [10]} a Republican who was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1944 and subsequently reelected in 1946 and 1948.^[11] Stuart, who had also been a member of Pennsylvania's Joint Legislative Committee on Mental Health Laws from 1947 to 1948, was a Tarentum High School graduate who had served in the United States Army during World War I and in the United States Army Reserve during World War II prior to his election to the Pennsylvania House. A publication assistant with The Valley Daily News from 1919 to 1920, he had also served as a Justice of the Peace in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania from 1922 to 1925 prior to becoming the editor of the New Kensington newspaper, the Valley News Dispatch, a position he held for half a century, from 1921 to 1971. During his state legislative tenure, he became known for his advocacy for bridge construction along the Allegheny.^[12]

See also

• List of crossings of the Allegheny River

External links

• Sale, John. "Angler and Angles" (photo of fisherman standing at the water below the George D. Stuart Bridge). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, October 9, 1983, p. 162 (subscription required).
• Sale, John. "Straight and narrow" (photo of the George D. Stuart Bridge). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, October 2, 1983, p. 145 (subscription required).

Notes and References

1. "Names and renames of old bridges." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 21, 2002, p. 22 (subscription required).
2. Niederberger, Mary. "'There's a saying in these parts...'" Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, December 11, 1983, p. 150 (subscription required).
3. George D. Stuart Bridge, in "Hospital Fire Safety Funds Voted." York, Pennsylvania: York Daily Record, April 4, 1973, p. 32 (subscription required).
4. "Spans Renamed for Legislators." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, July 10, 1974, p. 7 (subscription required).
5. "Stuart, George Donnell," in "Archives." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, retrieved online December 23, 2022.
6. George D. Stuart, in "Teacher, Labor Bills Head for Decision in Legislature." Williamsport, Pennsylvania: Gazette-Bulletin, May 12, 1947, front page (subscription required).
7. Web site: PGHBridges - Tarentum Bridge . May 2, 2000 . January 31, 2010.
8. "Names and renames of old bridges," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 21, 2002.
9. George D. Stuart Bridge, in "Hospital Fire Safety Funds Voted," York Daily Record, April 4, 1973.
10. "Spans Renamed for Legislators." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, July 10, 1974, p. 7 (subscription required).
11. George D. Stuart, in "Teacher, Labor Bills Head for Decision in Legislature," Gazette-Bulletin, May 12, 1947.
12. "Stuart, George Donnell," in "Archives," Pennsylvania House of Representatives.