Roads to close as more 100-ton beams arrive for new Fern Hollow Bridge
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Several roads will close over the next few days while the last 100-ton beams for the new Fern Hollow Bridge arrive in Pittsburgh.
PennDOT said the superload will leave Roaring Spring Thursday at 7 a.m. and take multiple state routes through Blair, Cambria, Indiana and Westmoreland counties before reaching the bridge's eastern side on South Braddock Avenue around 10 a.m.
PennDOT said two beams a day will continue to be delivered Friday and Monday, with one last beam coming Tuesday.
South Braddock Avenue between the I-376 interchange and Forbes Avenue will close, as well as intersecting sidestreets along the way. PennDOT will also close the ramps from West Swissvale Avenue and northbound South Braddock Avenue to the inbound Parkway East and the ramp from southbound Braddock Avenue to the inbound Parkway East.
WHAT A SIGHT! Two massive beams for the new Fern Hollow Bridge being hauled through the heart of the Squirrel Hill business on Forbes Avenue. The beam deliveries will continue every week day until August 5th. @KDKA #SkyEye2 pic.twitter.com/Zh2Bz3vPkG
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) July 25, 2022
Police from multiple communities will help escort the beams, which are about 150 feet long, 8 feet high and four feet wide.
Fourteen beams have already been delivered to the other side of the bridge.
Assuming everything goes smoothly while dealing with supply chain issues, officials have said the goal is to get the bridge reopened by the end of the year, about 11 months after it collapsed.