Watch Live: Snow-Covered Pittsburgh Bridge Collapses, Multiple Injuries Reported

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A Pittsburgh bridge collapsed early today, according to authorities, injuring 10 people just hours before President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit the city to talk about infrastructure.

Pittsburgh Public Safety acknowledged a “confirmed bridge collapse” at around 6:50 a.m. Photos showed at least four vehicles, including a Port Authority bus, on the Fern Hollow Bridge near Forbes and Braddock avenues. Another vehicle was shown dangling near the edge of the collapsed bridge, which is located in Frick Park and connects the Point Breeze, Regent Square and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.

Three people were hospitalized, but none of the injuries are life-threatening, said Darryl Jones, chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, at a news conference. A hospital spokesperson with UPMC Presbyterian told The Washington Post that three adult patients were in fair condition as of Friday morning.

“The good thing at this point is that there are no fatalities, and we’re going to pray there are no fatalities,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, D, told reporters. “We were fortunate.”

Police, fire and EMS personnel are responding to the collapse. Gainey added that first responders are investigating to make sure no one is trapped underneath the collapsed bridge.

The White House is monitoring the situation and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, D, said the state was “prepared to provide support as needed.”

The cause of the collapse is under investigation, Jones said.

Gainey told reporters that the bridge, which was built in 1970, was last inspected in September 2021. It’s not immediately clear whether any issues were reported during the most recent inspection.

The bridge – which has been estimated to carry about 14,500 vehicles a day – has been rated in poor condition in inspections dating back to 2011, according to the U.S. Transportation Department’s National Bridge Inventory. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation notes that a poor rating of a state bridge means that “deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced.” A September 2019 inspection of the city-owned Fern Hollow Bridge found that both its superstructure and deck were in poor condition.

Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph confirmed to The Post that a driver and two passengers were able to escape without injury. Rescuers rappelled about 150 feet while other first responders formed a human chain to help pull multiple people from the bus, according to the Associated Press.

“We are extremely thankful that no one from the bus reported any injuries, and grateful for the first responders who risked their own lives to save others,” Brandolph said.

Public Safety said there was “a strong smell of natural gas in the area,” and he agency confirmed that a gas line had been cut. Nearby homes were being evacuated due to the gas smell, but they have since been allowed to return, Jones said.

The Red Cross has been contacted to assist with victims, according to Public Safety. The Salvation Army is set up to help with first responders, Jones said.

The collapse occurred on the same day that Biden is traveling to Pittsburgh to discuss infrastructure. As part of his trip, the president will visit the research and development hub of Mill 19, which was part of the infrastructure deal passed by Congress last year.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden “is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time.”

“The President will proceed with trip planned for today and will stay in touch with officials on the ground about additional assistance we can provide,” she tweeted.

Biden heads to Pittsburgh, a big city in a major swing state, for a day trip designed to promote his economic record at a moment when his approval ratings are low. Some Democrats have complained that Biden does not do enough to tout his administration’s successes, and Biden himself has said he plans to travel the country more this year.

The visit to Pennsylvania also marks a return to a key midterm battleground, where he and Democrats are looking to promote their record as the campaign takes shape. A crucial Senate race is heating up in the Keystone State following the announcement by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey that he is retiring, and the outcome could have a bearing on which party controls the chamber next year.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, D, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year, was among those at the scene of the collapse. Fetterman told reporters that it was “jarring” to see what the bridge looked like after he drove on it Thursday.

“We’re the city of bridges – and how many are out there?” he said. “I hope it’s a wake-up call to the nation that we have to make these critical infrastructure investments and that people are afforded a safe drive to work. I’m just grateful nobody was killed.”

The collapse of the bridge provides an unusually stark illustration of Biden’s broader point about the need to shore up the country’s infrastructure, though he is likely to be cautious about opening himself up to accusations of politicizing the collapse.

The president Friday intends to discuss the infrastructure law’s effect on supply chain snarls as well as its provisions for rebuilding roads, bridges, ports and airports, according to a White House official who previewed the trip on the condition of anonymity, under ground rules set by the White House.

The mayor said the bridge collapse was a prime example of why the city supported the infrastructure deal.

“We need it,” Gainey told reporters. “We could have had some significant injuries.”

The bridge, which is located 10 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, crosses over a popular walking trail in Frick Park.

Wendy Stroh, a resident in the area, told KDKA that the collapse “sounded like a huge snowplow.”

“It’s very frightening, just the thought of the bridge collapsing is a scary prospect,” she said. “I cross that bridge all the time.”

Rich Fitzgerald, the county executive for Allegheny County, said authorities would be working with families in the area to make sure everyone is safe.

“A lot of work is going to need to be done,” Fitzgerald said.

(c) 2022, The Washington Post · Timothy Bella, Naftali Bendavid 

{Matzav.com}


2 COMMENTS

  1. The good thing at this point is that there are no fatalities & the bad thing is that this collapse caused the Squirrel Hill עירוב to go down for this שבת

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