PITTSBURGH (AP) — A two-lane bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh early Friday, requiring rescuers to rappel nearly 150 feet (46 meters) while others formed a human chain to help rescue occupants of a dangling bus.
The collapse came hours before President Joe Biden was to visit the city to press for his $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes bridge maintenance.
There were minor injuries from the collapse but no fatalities, said authorities, who also said they were flying drones to make sure no one is under any collapsed sections.
Police reported the span, on Forbes Avenue over Fern Hollow Creek in Frick Park, came down just before 7 a.m.
Sam Wasserman, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, said a few hours after the collapse that officials were evaluating the scene and an urban search-and-rescue team was still combing the area for any other possible victims.
He said most of the 10 people who were evaluated for injuries were first responders checked for exhaustion or because of the cold and snowy weather. Three people were taken to hospitals and none had critical injuries, Wasserman said.
Wasserman said the two-part, elongated Port Authority bus was on the bridge when it collapsed, with a driver and at least one passenger who were both evaluated by emergency medical responders.
City officials said the collapse caused a gas leak but the gas has since been shut off.
At the site of the collapse, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman called it “just an awful, surreal scene.”
“I hope it’s a wake-up call to the nation that we need to make these infrastructure investments,” Fetterman said.
Associated Press photographer Gene Puskar said the scene was reminiscent of the aftermath of an earthquake. There was a large crack on the end where the bus was, he said. There was also a car upside down in front of the bus.
Authorities told motorists to avoid the area.
In a statement, the White House said Biden would proceed with his planned trip to Pittsburgh.
“Our team is in touch with state and local officials on the ground as they continue to gather information about the cause of the collapse,” the statement said. “The President is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time.”
The steel span, which was built in 1970, carries about 14,500 vehicles a day, according to a 2005 estimate.
Wasserman said the most recent inspection occurred in September but the report was not immediately available.
But a September 2019 inspection of the city-owned bridge revealed the deck and superstructure to be in poor condition, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Bridge Inventory. A spreadsheet on the state Department of Transportation website listed the bridge’s overall condition as poor, which, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, means “deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced.”
Associated Pres writers Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Michael Rubinkam in northeastern Pennsylvania contributed to this report.
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Police, Medics, Firemen ? Why didn’t they call a social worker instead ?
OR their local BLM chapter.
I’m wondering why, after inspections, that this bridge wasn’t immediately condemned and replacement started? Looks as though today the decision was made, but not by some government entity. Another question I have. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t Obummer get a boatload of money for infrastructure repairs along with touting bunch of shovel ready jobs would be available to accomplish that feat? And later, we found out the jobs didn’t appear, so what happened to the money, where did it go? Is the state of Pennsylvania in such bad shape that it can’t take care of it’s bridges?
Especially, wen SO MANY MILLIONS ARE raked in BY the state, via drivers license fees, gas taxes, and vehicle licensing fees, WHICH SHOULD BE USED TO MAKE THOSE infrastructure repairs….
This happened in a state with the second highest gas tax in the country. A state that slapped motorists in certain counties (including the one where Pittsburgh is) with an additional $5.00 charge for renewing a vehicle registration. And the state also siphons toll money from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, to supposedly pay for bridge and road maintenance. Even with all that money, we still have pothole infested state highways with 2 digit numbers (examples in this county, PA18, PA 65, PA 68, and PA 51). PennDOT has no clue when it comes to properly designing road drainage, which exacerbates the potholes and cracking. And since they have no clue on geotechnical issues, landslides are a regular occurrence. An additional temporary cash infusion from “Uncle Sugar” won’t help fix these many problems. What they need are financial and engineering competence, not more money from Washington to pay prevailing wage union chumps!
Infrastructure in democrat encyclopedia means free everything for illegals, criminals and politicians and their families.