'I Was Appalled By The Magnitude Of The Disaster:' Gov. Tom Wolf Talks Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed last Friday, as soon as the people were safe, the work began to get the bridge rebuilt.
Even before President Joe Biden visited the site, conversations were already underway about how to fund the rebuild.
So, how quickly will this happen?
The short answer: faster than you may think and Governor Tom Wolf says this is an extraordinary circumstance that he witnessed firsthand with the president.
As Gov. Wolf and President Biden walked, staring at the remains of the Fern Hollow Bridge, words were few.
"I was appalled by the magnitude of the disaster, the destruction," Gov. Wolf said.
That day with the president and over the weekend with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the Infrastructure Czar, Gov. Wolf was given assurances.
"The city of Pittsburgh will not be on the hook for any of this," he said. "This is a city bridge, but the commonwealth will be working with the federal government. We're going to make sure this bridge gets rebuilt as quickly as possible."
To this point, $25.3 million have been earmarked for the return of the bridge.
"The construction itself will probably take a year," Gov. Wolf said.
PennDOT District 11 is working with the city, starting with the original bridge designs. The desires for wider sidewalks or bike lanes will be considered within the confines of the existing bridge abutments.
"We want to try to do this as expeditiously as possible, so we can't make too many changes," said PennDOT District 11 Executive Cheryl Moon-Siriani.
Getting the steel could be the toughest issue, but the hope is that construction could start by late March or early April when they will be doing foundation work.
Now, if what happened to the Fern Hollow Bridge gave you pause, you aren't alone, especially after you hear the numbers: 176 bridges in Allegheny County alone are rated poor, just like the Fern Hollow Bridge.
It's not a topic taken lightly, with PennDOT and elected officials saying that drivers deserve to feel safe, no matter where they drive.
WATCH: Exclusive Interview With Gov. Tom Wolf
However, the falling of the Fern Hollow Bridge took down our quiet confidence of safety along with the fallen concrete.
"It ought to be something we don't even have to think about," Governor Wolf said.
Moon-Siriani worries that over 96 state-owned bridges are among those rated poor in Allegheny County.
"Any bridge that has a component that is rated as poor, it does take us a little more attention and investigation as to why it is and what we can do to take that rating off of it," she said.
According to Moon-Siriani, bridge inspectors watch them like a hawk, with some pretty high-tech equipment.
"When they find anything out on-site, would it be a crack or anything that would cause them concern, they will call us immediately and we will shut that bridge down," she said.
Governor Wolf said that the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse is a call to diligence.
"I think we need to be looking at all of our bridges, I don't care if they're rated poor or even fair," he said.
This means that three other bridges in the area that are of the same design and construction as the Fern Hollow Bridge will get a closer look, even though they are rated as fair.
