City says rust and corrosion led to Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge closure
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The city of Pittsburgh is releasing new information about what led to the closure of the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge.
The city's engineer, Eric Setzler, said the bridge was inspected in October and the results came in a few days ago. City officials reviewed the results and said within 24 hours, they determined it was best to shut down the bridge.
Setzler said the main factors leading to the closure were rust and corrosion found on the bridge.
"There were just some scattered areas, one gusset plate in particular which is on a trust. You have different members coming together and the plate that holds those members together in a connection -- one of those specifically was the biggest area of concern," Setzler said.
Setzler said the bridge lost its strength and called the findings from the inspection report "major issues."
"What the analysis shows is that the weight of the vehicles is not able to be supported by those particular pieces right now," Setzler said.
KDKA asked Setzler if drivers were at risk over the last three months while the city waited for the inspection results.
"You know, the bridge has performed well over the last couple of months. So I'm not going to spend a lot of time thinking about the past and worrying about that. But you know, once we receive information that was concerning to us, then we just want to take action right away to prevent any future problems," Setzler said.
We also asked the city if other bridges are currently under inspection and awaiting results.
"Inspections are on a cycle. So there's always inspections going on. Any of those inspections could result in a recommendation to update the structural analysis based on what's observed in that inspection. So there's always a process going on, there's always a chance that something could come to our attention," Setzler said.
Some local business owners said they're happy the city noticed a problem before it was too late but worry about other bridges throughout the city.
"I think that they need to get out and inspect all the bridges around Pittsburgh," Lisa Loveline said, co-owner of Bahama Breeze Tanning. "I just think it's our infrastructure that really needs a lot of work to be done."
Loveline said due to the closure, traffic will be chaotic until it reopens.
"The traffic here is really, really busy. Beachwood Boulevard can get backed up anytime after 2 p.m. It's a line and everyone -- it's hard to get in and out on a normal day, so it is a busy street," Loveline said.
The city said previous inspection reports did not indicate a need to close the bridge but based on the latest report, making repairs ahead of its planned $48 million rehabilitation project was necessary to ensure it was safe and secure for those who travel on it.
"Public safety is our is our utmost priority here and it's going to be an inconvenience. This is a tough one to close but you know ultimately getting these repairs done will make everything safer in the long run," Setzler said.
The city said it could cost roughly $2 million to repair and it could be another month before construction begins.
The previous administration, before Mayor Ed Gainey took office, had projected construction on the bridge would cost around $6 million. That money was never allocated, only projected, according to city officials.
Gainey said that funding was moved to become available in 2027, with construction bids estimated to open in 2025. That was before they knew about the latest inspection and need to make repairs now.
Gainey says they're working to expedite that funding in order to repair the bridge.
The city posted these detours:
- For eastbound/outbound vehicles: Boulevard of the Allies, right onto Bates Street, left onto Second Avenue, left onto Greenfield Avenue, left onto Ronald Street, right onto Alger Street, left onto Greenfield Bridge, to Greenfield Road, to Panther Hollow Road
- For westbound/inbound vehicles: Panther Hollow Road, to Greenfield Road, to Greenfield Bridge, right onto Alger Street, left onto Winterburn Street, right onto Greenfield Avenue, right onto Second Avenue, right onto Bates Street
