PennDOT: Deteriorating McKnight Rd. Bridge To Be Replaced In 2015
McCANDLESS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- PennDOT is preparing to make a major fix to a busy road in the North Hills.
Large chunks of concrete have started falling from the McKnight Road Bridge onto the roadway below.
PennDOT officials say the bridge has just about reached the end of its life.
And while the good news is that the structure is scheduled to be replaced, the bad news is that it will not happen for a couple more years.
It could have been a dangerous situation, pieces of concrete tumbling down onto Ingomar Road in McCandless from the deteriorating bridge above.
According to PennDOT, the bridge on McKnight Road was built in 1953. More modern infrastructure will be considered young at 60 years old, but spokesman Jim Struzzi suggests this one wasn't properly taken care of.
"Sixty years is pretty old, but we would expect a bridge to last 100 years today," Struzzi said. "The neglect occurred because of maintenance that wasn't performed. We look at bridges differently now, and we understand that you have to put a lot of money into maintenance and cleaning the bridge."
Luckily, no one was injured on Saturday when the concrete chunks fell. Maintenance crews collected some of the debris planning to make more temporary fixes until the bridge can be replaced.
"They're back out there this week putting up shielding underneath the bridge, essentially to prevent anything else from falling onto the roadway beneath," Struzzi said.
PennDOT says the bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2015.
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