The bridge connects the adjoining hilltop neighborhoods of Perry South, Spring Hill–City View, and Northview Heights on the city's North Side.

[5] A bridge over East Street Valley had been requested since the early 1900s, mainly by business organizations which wanted to open the sparsely populated City View neighborhood for development.

The Pittsburgh Press reported in 1932 that fewer than 100 cars and trucks were crossing the bridge each day and that children could be found playing in the roadway as vehicles passed by only about every 10 minutes.

Rocks, bricks, and other items were frequently thrown from the bridge, endangering the East Street Valley residents who lived underneath,[15][16] and police estimated that about fifty people had jumped from the span by 1952.

[22][23] A more extensive rehabilitation, including replacement of the deck, sidewalks, and lighting, improved drainage, and reinforcement of the steel structure, was completed in 1988.

[26] In July 2022, debris fell onto I-279 while a crew was performing emergency paving work on the bridge, prompting the city to close the span to traffic.

The city was unable to replace the trough due to the 2021–2023 global supply chain crisis, so a temporary repair was effected by simply welding steel plate over the expansion joint.