It was completed in 1966 to replace an old, decayed, unsafe iron bridge built in 1894, which carried Pittsburgh Railways streetcar tracks and vehicle traffic on a wooden deck.

The original bridge was built by the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls[citation needed] and carried trolley tracks between Pittsburgh and Homestead.

It was later paved with wood to allow vehicle traffic to share the crossing.

[1] Permission was given by the Public Utilities Commission on November 8, 1962, for Pittsburgh Railways to convert trolley routes 55 East Pittsburgh via Homestead and Braddock and 98 Glassport to bus service, as the replacement bridge planned did not incorporate trolley tracks.

[3] At the southern end of the bridge is an expressway-style interchange with Pennsylvania Route 837.