NTSB to determine probable cause of Fern Hollow Bridge collapse at meeting later this month
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The National Transportation Safety Board will meet to determine the probable cause of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse later this month.
The NTSB will hold a virtual board meeting on Feb. 21 at 9:30 a.m. to vote on investigators' final findings, probable cause and recommendations.
Early on the morning of Jan. 28, 2022, hours before President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Pittsburgh to discuss infrastructure, the 447-foot-long bridge collapsed and fell into the park below. Six vehicles, including a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus, were on the bridge. Several people were injured.
The NTSB said investigators have found corrosion, deterioration and section loss on all four of the bridge's legs from the "continual accumulation of water and debris."
In May, the NTSB urged transportation officials nationwide to examine more than 10,000 other bridges with similar construction to make sure they don't have the same kind of corrosion. The report said for years, Pennsylvania neglected the maintenance needed to clear the debris, dirt and leaves that caused the problem, even though inspectors noted the issue.
In January, a judge ordered the engineering firm DCM Smith Incorporated to provide all documents related to the bridge. Thousands of pages of documents released revealed a failure by multiple institutions to maintain bridges.
The documents also showed a pattern of short-sightedness. In an interview with the engineer who oversaw inspections, he said he only got two six-hour periods to check over the bridge and did not get time to conduct an in-depth inspection.
The meeting on Feb. 21 can be watched online.