American Bridge Company - History

History

See also: List of companies consolidated into American Bridge Company

American Bridge Company was founded in April 1900, through the JP Morgan-led consolidation of 28 of the largest United States based steel fabricators and constructors. The company’s roots extend to the late 1860s, when one of the consolidated firms, Keystone Bridge Works, constructed the Eads Bridge, the first steel bridge over the Mississippi River, at St. Louis which is still in use today. Shortly thereafter, in 1902, the company became a subsidiary of United States Steel as part of the Steel Trust consolidation. It went private in 1987.

The company has a long and storied history. While American Bridge’s roots in steel fabrication and construction remain a strength today, the company developed broad based contracting and management resources to service complex project needs. Some of American Bridge’s most notable projects are more a testament to construction engineering know how and management abilities than to its historical strength in steel construction. The company pioneered the use of steel as a construction material; developing the means & methods for fabrication and construction that allowed it to be widely used in buildings, bridges, vessels, and other plate applications. As a result, and due to its deep financial resources, American Bridge has operated on a national and international scale from the moment of its inception.

American Bridge produced a number of ships for the United States Navy as part of the war effort during World War II. The town of Ambridge, Pennsylvania was an American Bridge Company town (thus the name "Ambridge"), and is near their current headquarters of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Both municipalities are located on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with access to many steel suppliers, as well as to waterborne and rail transport, to allow shipment of components and subassemblies.

American Bridge has come under criticism for its role in the Discovery Land Company's 'Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club' in the Bahamas. American Bridge is responsible for construction activities in a highly sensitive mangrove and coral reef area of Great Guana Cay, a barrier island of Abaco. The project is now opposed by the Sierra Club, Ocean Futures Society and dozens of conservation groups around the world. The local indigenous natives of Great Guana Cay have created a powerful opposition to the construction activities, often bringing construction to a halt through the Bahamian Supreme Court and U.K. Privy Council.