Pittsburgh closing Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge for repairs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The city is closing the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge to vehicles on Wednesday for a months-long repair project.
Mayor Ed Gainey said inspection results showed the bridge needs repair work to be safe for traffic and credited the safety systems put into place after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed a year ago for helping the city proactively close the bridge and prevent a potential disaster.
Repairs are expected to cost between $1 million to $2 million and will take no fewer than four months, the mayor's office said.
The mayor's office said previous inspections didn't indicate a need for a closure, but the results of an updated structural analysis did.
The bridge, a link on the Boulevard of Allies that connects Squirrel Hill and Greenfield to Oakland and Downtown, was already slated for a $48 million rehabilitation project. With the bridge now closed, the city said the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure is looking for ways to expedite the project.
PennDOT records reportedly list the bridge as being in poor condition and show it was weight restricted with a 32 ton limit for single vehicles and a combined weight limit on the bridge of 40 tons.
The bridge will close to traffic but will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists.
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"I believe it will be an inconvenience," said Oakland resident Jessica Bottles. "I didn't know it was happening so soon. They didn't send out any other information. I do have concerns for people driving on the bridge and around Oakland and the neighborhood. It's going to be very difficult for people to get around already. I'm surprised it's happening so soon and they didn't say anything else about it until just now."
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
