Greenfield Bridge Opens Early After All-Day Celebration

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Greenfield Bridge officially opened to traffic at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Folks that live on either side of the bridge have been waiting years for this day.

Earlier in the evening, there was a party on the bridge, complete with a ribbon cutting.

"It's been a long time coming but it's a relief. But not only a relief, it's a pleasure because it turned out to be such a great bridge," said Project Director Patrick Hassett.

There was a lot of music, races for the kids and plenty of food to go around. Even T-shirts saying "The Bridge is Back" were a hit.

"We're out of mediums and larges. We're taking special orders at this point," said Bill Barker with the Greenfield Community Association.

The old bridge crumbled onto the Parkway East almost two years ago. Now, the brand new replacement is five feet wider with a wider sidewalk and bike lanes.

Jean Niederberger was 4 years old when the old bridge was completed. She's 100 years old now.

"They had a free merry-go-round for the kids and they used to come out every day and ride the merry-go-round. It was nice," said Jean Niederberger.

"Our wonderful bridge is back so we can walk over to Schenley Park," said Greenfield resident Cassie Kostilnik DeGore.

"It's resilient. It's strong, and through reinvestment in it, it guarantees another 100 years of prosperity for this amazing neighborhood," said Mayor Bill Peduto.