Decades worth of soot removed from Pittsburgh bridge pylons as part of $34.4 million project

PITTSBURGH — The pylons on the North Shore side of the Andy Warhol and Rachel Carson bridges look almost as good as new after crews spent a few weeks cleaning them.

Crews used high-pressure water to remove the soot and grime that had accumulated on the pylons, turning them from black to white.

The crews will also clean the pylons on the North Shore side of the Roberto Clemente Bridge before switching to the Downtown side. A boat will later blast water onto the bridges from the Allegheny River.

Allegheny County Government said the cleaning was part of a larger $34.4 million rehabilitation project.

The project began in Feb. 2022 and is expected to end in Dec. 2023.

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