Monday – Friday
October 28 – November 1, 2019
Wyndham Grand Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Conference Chair
Stephen J. Ludwick, Aerotech, Inc.
Photo Credit: David Reid/VisitPittsburgh
Bridges…Pittsburgh at the Point…A Journey Through History
Thomas Leech and Linda Kaplan
Thirty-four bridges have risen and fallen over the past 250 years within one mile of the point in Pittsburgh. These bridges reflected and enabled the growth of manufacturing and heavy industry, and now play a role in Pittsburgh’s transition to a high technology center. Our Wednesday luncheon speakers will discuss how bridges work, how the history of transportation and technology are intertwined, and what role bridges played as Pittsburgh transformed from a wooded frontier to a thriving urban hub.
Thomas Leech is a retired Chief Engineer of Bridges and Structures of Gannett Fleming, Inc, and is an Adjunct Professor of Civil Engineering for Carnegie Mellon University. As a registered professional and registered structural engineer, he has been engineer of record for hundreds of bridge designs locally and nationally, for notable historical restorations, and was principal investigator for the 2003 Collapse of the Kinzua (railroad) Viaduct. He was the Technical Leader of a team of bridge experts, photographers, graphic artists, and airport public information personnel that developed a 60-foot-long mural that is now on display at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Linda Kaplan is a Senior Structural Engineer and Project Manager. As a registered professional engineer, she has been a design team member of numerous bridge and tunnel projects throughout the US. Linda has made public presentations to various SEI (Structural Engineering Institute) and ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) conventions and congresses. She sits on the editorial board of Structures Magazine, is a member of the Carnegie Mellon University Civil Engineering Department Advisory Council and is a participant in the ACE Mentoring Program .
Thomas Leech and Linda Kaplan are co-authors of “Bridges … Pittsburgh at the Point … A Journey Through History” (ISBN 978-1-63385-140-5)