The Pittsburgh Ledger: Posted, August 2, 2026
Five stories in the Ledger's first full week: a bridge slid into place over the Parkway East, a new whistle in Latrobe, and driverless semis with Strip District software behind the wheel.
Every Sunday morning, this space closes the books on the week: what the Ledger published, what it added up to, and what's coming next. This is the first entry.
The spotlight: 17 days, 22 million pounds
The story of the week was the one you could drive across by Monday night. How Pittsburgh Replaced an Interstate Bridge in Less Than a Month followed PennDOT's Commercial Street Bridge replacement from the July 10 shutdown of the Parkway East through the July 27 reopening, a full week ahead of schedule and under budget.
The short version: crews spent two years building the new 850-foot span beside the old one while 100,000 vehicles a day rolled past, imploded the 1959 original, then slid all 22 million pounds of the replacement 102 feet sideways into place on hydraulic jacks. Gov. Josh Shapiro called it the largest known structure ever moved into place this way in the United States. Four years of lane restrictions, traded for one 17-day detour.
A new whistle, new stripes
Training camp opened in Latrobe, and for the first time in 19 summers the man running practice at Saint Vincent College is not Mike Tomlin. A Different Whistle in Latrobe covers what is new at the Steelers' 59th straight camp in the hills above Route 30, from the staff to the quarterback room. Camp runs through August 17, with the night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium on August 8.
Down the road in Wexford, North Allegheny made national news of its own. The Tigers signed with Adidas, one of just 20 schools in the country picked for Team Adidas and the only high school in Pennsylvania. The Ledger was first to the story, and the piece breaks down what the deal covers and what it means for families in the district.
Also posted this week
Nobody Is Driving These Semis, and the Reason Lives on Smallman Street: Aurora Innovation, headquartered in the Strip District, launched its second-generation driverless truck, signed a new freight customer, and told investors that more than 200 trucks will be hauling freight with nobody aboard by New Year's Eve. The software steering semis across Texas was built in Pittsburgh.
The $1.6 Billion Megaproject Hiding in Plain Sight on the Ohio River: Pennsylvania's largest single infrastructure investment is not in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. It is at Montgomery Locks in Monaca, and most of Beaver County drives past it without a second look.
In the ledger for next week
An explainer on why everyone slows down at the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, and whatever real news comes out of Latrobe as the pads go on. See you next Sunday.
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