The need for a bridge was beyond doubt and long overdue as the towns of Ambridge and Woodlawn, which had populations in the hundreds at the turn of the 20th century, exceeded 40,000 by the late 1920s.

In September 1924, the plans for a bridge over the Ohio River linking Ambridge and Woodlawn were revived from earlier ones shelved in 1917 by the outbreak of the First World War.

Dravo Contracting submitted the low bid of $144,000 to construct four piers completed on August 13, 1926 one month ahead of schedule.

When the Ambridge-Woodlawn Bridge opened to the public that winter, the local paper reported the usual fanfare, commemorations, and even an “aerial bombardment”.

In addition to the Ohio River and two railways, the bridge crosses two main highways making the full length 1,908 feet excluding the end spans.