Pittsburgh Bridge Set to Reopen 11 Months After Collapse

President Biden visiting the Fern Hollow Bridge site in OctoberPhoto: Mandel Ngan / AFP (Getty Images)

The Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh is set to reopen this week, just 11 months after its collapse. In late January of this year, the road deck plunged 100 feet into the ravine below, injuring ten people. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Coincidentally, President Joe Biden was in Pittsburgh at the time of the catastrophic failure to promote the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

A week after the collapse, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that $25.3 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was allocated to build a replacement bridge.

The aftermath of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in JanuaryPhoto: Jeff Swensen (Getty Images)

The reconstruction of the Fern Hollow Bridge has been swift with PennDOT’s target opening date set for the end of this year. In July into early August, the bridge’s 14 major beams were delivered to the site, according to Road and Bridges. Then, in October, crews did a final concrete pouring for the bridge deck. That same month President Biden returned to the same place where he surveyed the collapse’s aftermath, where he stated that he hoped to walk across the bridge before Christmas.

President Biden might not get the chance to walk across the bridge himself, but the bridge might actually open before Christmas. CNN reported that PennDOT would open the new Fern Hollow Bridge by the end of the week if the railings and lights are installed and the roadway lines are painted. Though, the new bridge won’t be fully completed until spring next year.

The Fern Hollow Bridge is just the most prominent example of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s impact. The crossing exemplifies the effort being put toward revitalizing the country’s crumbling infrastructure.