The original truss bridge was built between 1949 and 1951 by the engineering firm Modjeski & Masters; the crossing predates the Interstate System by several years.

The replacement bridge was designed by the engineering firm Figg and built by Walsh Construction.

The purpose of the new structure was to increase the capacity of traffic from two lanes in each direction to three; this was done to eliminate a bottleneck at the exit with Pennsylvania Route 28, which branches off at the bridge approach on the Harmar side of the river.

It carried both eastbound and westbound traffic across the Allegheny River until the project was finished one year later.

On Tuesday, July 13, 2010, just after 10 a.m., the old steel structure of the Allegheny River Bridge was imploded with controlled demolition explosives.