2 crashes call into question safety on McKees Rocks Bridge during construction project
MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. (KDKA) - In the past week, there have been two crashes on the McKees Rocks bridge.
A head-on crash killed a person on Saturday and a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle on the bridge on Monday, sending him to the hospital in critical condition.
The crashes happened while a construction project has been going on. Now the overall safety is under scrutiny.
The work on the McKees Rocks Bridge is a necessity. There's no arguing that.
"I don't need anything horrible happening with that bridge. It needs to be done," State Rep. Anita Kulik said.
She represents communities the bridge runs through, including Stowe Township and McKees Rocks.
Safety has come into question after the latest two incidents just days apart. There have been meetings between PennDOT and local fire, police and EMS crews to address safety. The bridge runs through Pittsburgh, McKees Rocks and Stowe Township.
"Something has to be done or a barrier put in between them. It just takes a second," Stowe Township Commissioner David Rugh said.
Tuesday, Allegheny County Council President Patrick Catena sent a letter to PennDOT. He said by the end of October, there had been 24 accidents on the bridge over the past year. The council president calls on them to review if changes can be made.
PennDOT said they are waiting on the reports from police as officers continue to investigate. Their crews will review their work zone setup and have discussions on safety improvements.
"I don't know if you could shut the bridge down, if you could do intermittent shutdowns on the bridge," Rep. Kulik said over Zoom.
Traffic is tight on the bridge. There is one lane going in each direction, and just the center line dividing them. Some of the burden falls on drivers to be alert and drive cautiously.
"No one really pays attention to the speed limit on the bridge or the safety and caution signs on the bridge and we really need people to do that," Rep. Kulik described.
It's recommended that if you don't have to drive the bridge during the current construction project, avoid it. At this point, there is no immediate plan to change the setup of the construction zone or layout.
"Drive the speed limit and don't take your eyes off the road. It takes just a split second. I try to avoid it," Rugh said.
Allegheny County police continue to investigate the cause of Monday's incident. They had no new updates Tuesday.
