An Act designating a bridge, currently identified as the Fort Duquesne Bridge, on that portion of U.S. Route 279 over the Allegheny River, City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, as the Franco Harris Bridge.

PRINTER'S NO. 2756
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2130
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY ABNEY, MADDEN, HILL-EVANS, BRENNAN, GREINER, RABB,
STEELE, MAYES, BENHAM, FRANKEL, KHAN, DEASY, POWELL, INGLIS,
MIHALEK, O'NEAL, BURGOS, VENKAT, K.HARRIS, FREEMAN, HARKINS,
HADDOCK AND FLICK, JANUARY 12, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JANUARY 12, 2026
AN ACT
Designating a bridge, currently identified as the Fort Duquesne
Bridge, on that portion of U.S. Route 279 over the Allegheny
River, City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, as the Franco
Harris Bridge.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Franco Harris Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) Franco Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on
March 7, 1950.
(2) Mr. Harris was named one of the 44 best high school
football players by Kick-Off Magazine his junior year and
chosen as a College All-Star his senior year at The
Pennsylvania State University.
(3) Mr. Harris began his professional football career as
the Pittsburgh Steelers' first pick and the 13th player
selected in the 1972 Draft of the National Football League
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(NFL).
(4) For 12 seasons, Mr. Harris was a big-yardage running
back and a key man in the powerful Pittsburgh offensive
machine, which also included an outstanding passing attack.
(5) Mr. Harris established himself as a future
superstar, being only the fourth rookie in the NFL annals to
rush for 1,000 yards, and his six straight 100-yard rushing
games as a rookie tied a record set by Jim Brown.
(6) Mr. Harris' Immaculate Reception, which occurred on
December 23, 1972, was officially declared by the NFL as the
number one moment and number one play in the NFL's first 100
years.
(7) Mr. Harris was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
in 1972.
(8) In his 13 seasons, Mr. Harris rushed 2,949 times for
12,120 yards and 91 touchdowns.
(9) Mr. Harris rushed for 1,000 yards or more in eight
seasons and for more than 100 yards in 47 games and also
caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards and nine touchdowns.
(10) Mr. Harris' career rushing total and his combined
net yardage figure of 14,622 both ranked as the third highest
marks in professional football history at the time of his
retirement.
(11) Mr. Harris was an All-AFC choice in 1972, 1975,
1976 and 1977 and first-team or second-team All-Pro six
times.
(12) Selected to nine Pro Bowls, Mr. Harris played in
five AFC championships, missing a sixth because of injury,
and four Super Bowls.
(13) Mr. Harris was named the game's Most Valuable
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Player in Super Bowl IX, when the Steelers won their first-
ever league title with a 16-6 victory over Minnesota, rushing
for 158 yards, compared to just 17 yards rushing for the
entire Vikings team.
(14) Mr. Harris became the first African American and
first Italian American to be named a Super Bowl Most Valuable
Player.
(15) By the end of his career, Mr. Harris held numerous
Super Bowl and postseason game records, notably including 24
points and 354 yards rushing in four Super Bowls and 17
touchdowns and 1,556 yards rushing in 19 postseason playoff
games.
(16) Mr. Harris received the American Academy of
Achievement Golden Plate Award as the NFL Player of the
decade in 1984.
(17) In 1990, Mr. Harris was inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame.
(18) Beginning in the 1970s, Mr. Harris became a March
of Dimes spokesperson and fundraiser.
(19) Through the Pittsburgh Multiple Sclerosis Society,
Mr. Harris was a chairman for READ-a-thon, a reading program
developed by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and
initiated in the Pittsburgh area in 1974 by Harris.
(20) In 1976, Mr. Harris was named the NFL Man of the
Year, now known as the Walter Payton Award, for excellence on
the field and in the community.
(21) Mr. Harris was named to the Easter Seals Board of
Directors in 1978.
(22) In 1982, he received the Whizzer White Humanitarian
Award from the NFL Players Association honoring the player
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who shows high aspirations for serving his team, community
and nation.
(23) From 1987 through 1995, Mr. Harris served as the
Pennsylvania chairman of the Governor's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports.
(24) As an advocate for bike trails and cycling, Mr.
Harris served as a member of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Board of Directors from 1992 to 1997.
(25) In 1997, Mr. Harris was selected as the National
Multiple Sclerosis Volunteer of the Year recognizing his
years of work locally and nationally.
(26) In 1997, Mr. Harris camped out at Pittsburgh's City
County Building when the Ku Klux Klan was scheduled to speak,
in defiance of racial hatred.
(27) As the son of an Army veteran who served in both
World War II and Korea, Mr. Harris traveled on a USO tour
with the NFL in 1974 and in 2002, beginning his annual
tradition of visiting veterans hospitals every Super Bowl
weekend.
(28) Mr. Harris was a Trustee and Founding Chairman of
the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Smithsonian-
affiliated Senator John Heinz History Center.
(29) Mr. Harris was named as Conti Professor for The
Pennsylvania State University's School of Hospitality
Management, and in 2005 he was recognized by Penn State as an
Alumni Fellow, the highest honor conferred by the Penn State
Alumni Association.
(30) Mr. Harris was a recipient of the First Annual OT
10 Awards for Community Impact presented by OverTime Magazine
in 2005 which recognizes athletes who contribute unyielding
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support through community service, charitable donations and
entrepreneurial business endeavors.
(31) Mr. Harris was founding board chair and leader for
Pittsburgh Promise in 2007 and established the Franco and
Dana Harris Scholars Fund for college scholarship.
(32) Mr. Harris was a long-time supporter of Special
Olympics and member of Special Olympics Pennsylvania's
Executive Advisory Board, raising money for the nonprofit
organization at the Beaver Stadium Run every year since 2010,
and receiving the first ever Beaver Stadium Run Community
Hero Award in 2013.
(33) In 2011, Mr. Harris was inducted into the New
Jersey Hall of Fame for his commitment to community and
remained a lifelong supporter of his hometown of Mount Holly
and fundraiser for youth programs through the Mount Holly Pro
Day.
(34) In 2011, Mr. Harris received the "Partners in
Warmth, People's Natural Gas Award" recognizing 20 years of
service promoting an energy assistance program.
(35) In 2012, Mr. Harris received the Mother Frances
Schervier award from the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor for
his years of fundraising and support.
(36) Mr. Harris received the National Urban League's
Whitney M. Young Award and, in 2022, received the Urban
League of Greater Pittsburgh's Ronald H. Brown Leadership
award.
(37) In 2022, Mr. Harris was the first offensive player
ever to have his number retired by the Steelers, being
recognized by former President Barack Obama as a "role model
and community builder."
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(b) Designation.--The bridge, currently identified as the
Fort Duquesne Bridge, carrying U.S. Route 279 over the Allegheny
River in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, is designated
as the Franco Harris Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to
traffic in both directions on the bridge.
Section 2. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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