Pittsburgh City Council gives preliminary approval for contract to repair Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Some potential good news for drivers who take the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge.
This is the bridge that connects Oakland and Schenley Park and has been closed for over a month. Now, the plan was to keep it closed until 2027 for a full refurbishment, but now the bridge may be reopening earlier than anticipated.
Currently, the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge is closed and will be for the foreseeable future. On Wednesday, Pittsburgh City Council gave a preliminary approval for a $3.1 million contract to help with design for the bridge.
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It was shut down in February by city leaders, sighting safety concerns with the structural integrity of the bridge. What was expected to be around a four-month closure for repairs has now expanded to a longer closure until 2027, until full overhaul of the bridge can be done when federal funding is approved.
Now, with this money that has been tentatively approved by the city council, the bridge refurbishment is getting a little kickstart. It may be able to be fixed and re-open before 2027.
"This is a really big win for the city of Pittsburgh. It's a big win because we have established a relationship within the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, the mayor's administration and especially with PennDOT. It means we can leverage those relationships to secure this funding and ultimately fast track this project that really needs to get done," said Emily Bourne, a press officer for Mayor Ed Gainey.
This $3.1 million has been preliminarily approved and could move the bridge work up by as much as a year, and while this money does help the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge, it would also go to help fixes on the Panther Hollow Overpass, which spans the same ravine.
Final approval for the contract could come as early as next Tuesday.
