Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente Bridge to reopen on New Year's Eve

Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente Bridge is scheduled to reopen Sunday night after being closed for nearly two years, and the reopening marks the completion of a larger, $85.6 million project to revamp the city’s three landmark Sister Bridges.

The Clemente Bridge, which connects Downtown and the North Shore, closed to traffic and pedestrians on Feb. 14, 2022, so it could undergo a $34.4 million rehabilitation.

County officials plan to host a ceremony there at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, marking the completion of the bridge’s rehabilitation and a yearslong effort to fix the Clemente (Sixth Street), Andy Warhol (Seventh Street) and Rachel Carson (Ninth Street) bridges, also known as the Sister Bridges.

The ceremony will coincide with the official launch of a lighting project on the Sister Bridges, according to Highmark First Night Pittsburgh organizers. More than 600,000 color LED lights were installed on the three bridges.

The $85.6 million rehabilitation of the Sister Bridges began in 2016. In included structural, steel and masonry repairs; replacement of bridge decks, sidewalks, stairs, utility lines and lighting; and repainting of the bridges and handrails.

The Warhol Bridge was closed for repairs from August 2016 to November 2017, while the Rachel Carson Bridge was closed from February 2019 to November 2020.

Crews removed the love locks from the Clemente Bridge as part of its rehabilitation. The Industrial Arts Workshop in Hazelwood received the locks and will use them in an art project.

The Sister Bridges originally opened between 1926 and 1928.