Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse: PennDOT To Invest $25.3M To Rebuild Fern Hollow Bridge
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - PennDOT will invest $25.3 million to rebuild the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge.
The Federal Highway Administration approved the authorization request to begin preliminary engineering plans this morning, PennDOT said. A spokesperson said the federal funding comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Gov. Tom Wolf also signed a proclamation of disaster emergency, allowing the state to make funding available to Allegheny County and reduce red tape.
Councilman Corey O'Connor has said the money for rebuilding isn't in the budget, and the city will lean heavily on state and federal funding.
Meanwhile, the investigation into what caused the collapse of the bridge will be long and technical, the National Transportation Safety Board said. They'll use drone footage and inspectors on the ground to look at the legs under the deck of the bridge, looking for signs of corrosion, fatigue and cracking.
No one was killed but 10 were injured when the bridge collapsed early Friday morning, just hours before Biden was scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh to highlight the infrastructure law now funding the reconstruction.
PennDOT said the city owns and maintains the bridge, but it is "actively engaged" in the response to the collapse.
It could take up to two years to repair, O'Connor said.
