{"id":189274,"date":"2026-05-11T15:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/189274\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T15:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:35:11","slug":"run-or-walk-across-lil-bridgey-in-brighton-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/189274\/","title":{"rendered":"Run, or Walk, Across \u2018Li\u2019l Bridgey\u2019 in Brighton Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Davis<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY OLLIE GRATZINGER | THE DAVIS AVENUE SIDE OF THE DAVIS AVENUE BRIDGE, WHICH LEADS INTO RIVERVIEW PARK IN BRIGHTON HEIGHTS.<\/p>\n

One of Pittsburgh\u2019s newest \u2014 and smallest \u2014 bridges is already drawing crowds.<\/p>\n

The Davis Avenue Bridge in Brighton Heights will host the Li\u2019l Bridgey 5K<\/a> from 9 to 11 a.m. on May 30. Folks are invited to register online to run or walk the 3.1-mile course, which will begin on the Davis Avenue side of the bridge, head across it into Riverview Park, circle around the Allegheny Observatory and finally loop back around to finish where it started.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make sure that the Davis Avenue Bridge was properly showcased,\u201d says Ben Cole, who co-organized the race along with Patrick Sanders. \u201cThe route goes through Riverview Park, which has steep areas and longer declines, no matter which way you go. It\u2019s a challenging course, but we know runners and walkers are going to have a good time with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cole and Sanders, both Brighton Heights residents, also co-founded the Li\u2019l Swervy Run Club<\/a>, named after the neighborhood\u2019s comically small roundabout (Seriously, it\u2019s tiny<\/a>.) The club meets Thursday and Sunday mornings at Legion Park on Brighton Road.<\/p>\n

The point of the race, they say, is to get people together to celebrate the bridge and the restored connection it brings to Brighton Heights \u2014 and to have fun while doing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing we really wanted to do was to not only bring back a 5K race into the neighborhood, but to also have an event that folks can come out for and simply have a good time,\u201d Cole says. \u201cMost of the people that have registered are based in Brighton Heights and the North Side, so it\u2019s going to be great to see friends out in the park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants are also able and encouraged to donate to the Freedge, Brighton Height\u2019s community food pantry.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking sure our neighbors are able to complete their meals and find ways to help with food scarcity is also something we wanted to accomplish with this race,\u201d Cole adds.<\/p>\n

The race is a reimagining of the Brighton Heights 5K, a once-beloved tradition that hasn\u2019t been run in two decades, in large part because of the closure and eventual demolition of the original Davis Avenue Bridge. Organizers hope that the restored connection to the park can also restore local runners\u2019 connection to the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an older lady named Judy in our neighborhood who is often sporting old race shirts from 20-plus years ago, and the access to the park\u2019s return got us thinking that a renewed 5K might be good,\u201d Sanders says. \u201cBasically, Judy needs a new shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its previous iteration, the bridge was a pin-connected, cantilever deck truss constructed in 1898; while the city says it featured ingenuity for its day, it also lacked modern insight into necessary safety and maintenance features and, despite being fully open to cars and trucks, had limited capacity for heavy vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During a routine inspection, city officials found that it was in dire condition \u2014 so unstable, they said, that it could collapse at any minute<\/a>. It was consequently imploded in 2009, leaving Brighton Heights without its longtime connector to Riverview Park. The park, which was once just a five-minute walk from Brighton Heights, was now 35 minutes away<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It took 16 years, but the new Davis Avenue Bridge, a pre-rusted pedestrian- and bike-only walkway, reopened in spring of 2025, featuring modern materials and retro aesthetics that pay homage to its Victorian predecessor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In its first year, it has emerged as a popular corridor for biking, running, walking or just taking in the sights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really amazing that this bridge is one of the smallest in the city, but it really has had such a big impact on the neighborhood. The design of it is breathtaking,\u201d Cole says. \u201cThere\u2019s times when I cross it that I have to pause and just take in the moment. I get to see this beautiful view, right in my backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds that the bridge has already done much of what it was supposed to do, and has brought back much of what was missing from Brighton Heights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is connecting us to other neighborhoods and is allowing folks to get out and explore an amazing park,\u201d he says. \u201cMany times on our club runs we pass other runners, bikers and walkers. Everyone is happy that the bridge is there, and it\u2019s definitely getting utilized.\u201d<\/p>\n

In lieu of a traditional finishers medal, participants will receive a painted rock. It may seem random, but it actually honors a local tradition that started in the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the pandemic, folks in the neighborhood started painting rocks and placing them throughout the neighborhood. It became a great activity and has withstood that era,\u201d Cole says. \u201cWe wanted to have that as a nice nod to something that brought the community together.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are plenty of rocks to go around.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously,\u201d Sanders says. \u201cPlease take these rocks.\u201d\t<\/p>\n