Built in 1965,[1] the bridge marks the boundary between suburban Pittsburgh and the more rural Upper Allegheny.

The structure replaced the 1889 Garvers Ferry Bridge, which was extremely deteriorated by the 1950s and that was nearly destroyed in a 1959 barge collision.

The bridge's namesake is Donald R. Lobaugh, a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.

The bridge was listed as having a poor deck and substructure and having serious deterioration of its superstructure before having $5 million of emergency steel repairs in 2006/2007.

[2] The bridge is maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transport 12-0 and was rehabilitated over a period from 2010 to 2013.