Project:
Beatty Mills Bridge

Location:
North Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

Our Role:
Phase I Archaeological Survey, Effect, MOA, State Level Documentation

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) is proposing to replace the existing Beatty Mills Bridge carrying T-659 over Buffalo Creek in North Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Beatty Mills Bridge is a wrought iron Bowstring pony truss constructed ca. 1875 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company (WIBC). This 86-foot long, single span bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a remarkably complete and important example of an early metal truss bridge. Out of the 11,855 Pennsylvania bridges included in a survey conducted in the 1990s by PENNDOT, only four others are Bowstring pony trusses. In addition, less than one percent of these bridge (or 55 bridges) are fabricated of wrought iron. After applying the Criteria of Effect and the Criteria of Adverse Effect, it was recommended that there would be an adverse effect to this historic resource as a result of the proposed undertaking. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau for Historic Preservation (PHMC/BHP) concurred with this recommendation. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was prepared. State Level Documentation will be completed as a measure to mitigate the adverse effect. A Phase I Archaeological field survey was conducted in 2003. Based on the results of the Phase I survey, a very small portion of one archaeological resource, the previously recorded Ray Site (36Ar414), was re-identified within the boundaries of the project area. It was determined that this small portion would not be likely to yield significant information; therefore, no additional archaeological survey was required for this project.

Project:
Allegheny River Boulevard

Location:
Allegheny County

Our Role:
Prepared Historic Resource Survey Form

As motorists travel the tree-lined Allegheny River Boulevard with its old vine-covered stone walls and river views, they experience a scenic design developed by Allegheny County’s Planning Department nearly 70 years ago. The design evolved from the City Beautiful Movement during a time when Americans attempted to redesign their cities through an agenda of environmentalism and aesthetics physically expressed in the many beautiful parks, buildings and boulevards built between 1900 and 1930. The Boulevard was built to take advantage of the scenic beauty of the Allegheny River Valley. Part of the roadway’s charm is an alignment that closely parallels the natural course of the Allegheny River and affords sweeping vistas of the river, its elliptical islands and surrounding hills. To better appreciate the scenic opportunities of the Boulevard, the Allegheny County constructed three Observation Turnouts. Stately Oriental Plane trees provide a shaded canopy and illuminated pylons by sculptor Frank Vittor mark the Boulevard’s entrance in Verona.

Additional Interest: The Boulevard is eligible as a National Register Historic District and has been listed as one of America’s 10 Most Endangered Scenic Byways.

Project:
Panhandle Railroad Rails to Trails

Location:
Washington County

Our Role:
Historic Resource Survey Form

CDC surveyed a 17-mile section of the Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Washington County. A total of 18 bridges, 2 tunnels, a passenger station, and a freight station were identified. The railroad reflects the impact and role that the county’s rural areas played in a century of national shifts in industry and technology.

Additional Interest: The Panhandle was significant for its association with the coal and coke industry and its impact on the land-use patterns of the communities and farms through which it passed. The railroad steamed through incredible stone tunnels and over bridges in a contrasting landscape of agriculture and coal mines.

Project:
North Shore Connector

Location:
City of Pittsburgh

Our Role:
Phase I and II Archaeology, Eligibility for Historic Properties, MOA, Effec

This complex project involves the construction of a subway and tunnel beneath the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh to connect new developments on Pittsburgh’s North Shore with the Central Business District and Convention Center. CDC examined the project’s five alternatives and completed Cultural Resource surveys on the preferred alternative.

Additional Interest: One of the interesting discoveries was the Equitable Gas Company explosion of 1927 near Reedsdale Street on the North Shore. The tank was once the “largest gas tank in the world” and exploded when workers used an acetylene torch to repair what they believed was an “empty” tank. Industries and homes within a 20-mile radius of the tank experienced damage and 26 people were killed.