7 Finalists are Chosen for West End Bridge Design Competition

International design competition yields 7 finalists from a field of 109 design firms.

The competition was sponserd by The Riverlife Taskforce, and funded by the Alcoa Foundation. The contest sought to create new connections to both land and water. Entrants were asked to consider creative approaches for connecting pedestrians, cyclists, boaters and other users of all ages to both shores of the river.

Pittsburgh's rivers have traditionally been used for industrial transport. In fact, The Port of Pittsburgh is the second busiest inland port in the nation and the 13th busiest port, of any kind, in the nation. According to the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, the port is larger in tonnage than Baltimore, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. The 52 million tons of cargo that the Port of Pittsburgh ships and receives each year equates to an annual benefit to the region of more than $873 million.


In recent years, however, groups like The Riverlife Taskforce have begun working to ensure that our rivers and shorelines become beautiful, safe, inviting places for commerce, tourism, and recreation.



As an architect, I applaud the competition's organizers for attempting to make the structures that span our rivers worthy of the Pittsburgh lanscape.

photo1 : Endres Ware
photo 2: Pittsburgh Regional Alliance