In Shadyside, out with the old bridge, in with the new

The South Highland Avenue bridge in Shadyside, as photographed by the Post-Gazette's Bob Donaldson earlier this year. It will close on Monday for a six-month replacement project that will preserve the stone abutments, which date to 1875. The bridge itself dates to 1925 and is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete -- and pretty darned ugly to boot.

Here is what the new bridge will look like:

A community meeting on the project will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave., Shadyside. More about the project can be found here.