Swindell Bridge shut down after debris falls on drivers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh Public Safety shut down the Swindell Bridge in Northview Heights Friday for emergency repairs and inspection.
Sitting above I-279 North, the bridge was undergoing resurfacing but now it's shut down after rocky debris fell onto cars on the Parkway North below.
Following the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge earlier this year, residents began raising the alarm about the condition of the Swindell Bridge, fearing it could suffer the same fate.
KDKA has repeatedly reported on the poor condition of the bridge including exposed rebar and massive potholes that have lined the deck front to back. It has had a stop sign permitting only one-way traffic on one spot that is weight restricted.
RELATED: Swindell Bridge Over Parkway North Appears To Be In Dire Shape, And Residents Are Concerned
Rocky debris from the bridge fell onto cars passing underneath Friday. State police reported at least four cars sustained cracked windshields and other damage but no injuries or traffic accidents happened as a result.
The city has plans to replace the bridge in a few years but in the meantime, it has begun work resurfacing the deck.
Contractors were at work milling the deck when the debris began to fall.
"I haven't had official confirmation yet but I imagine if there was rock debris that came from the bridge, that it would be because of the milling," City Councilman Bobby Wilson said.
The bridge is one of 20 city-owned bridges rated in poor condition but the city ordered an emergency inspection in May because of its obvious signs of deterioration, and Mayor Ed Gainey vowed to shut it down if the inspector found major faults.
The inspector did not recommend the bridge be shut down, but the Gainey administration has ordered a re-inspection for Saturday. The bridge has now been shut down at least temporarily but in a statement, the mayor said he will keep it closed depending on what the inspector finds. Wilson said Friday's incident just affirms the need to replace the bridge.
"It just sort of re-enforces that we need to cut this red tape and get this done because the more we do small repairs like this to where we can fully fund it, there's going to be situations like this that occur. To get this bridge fully funded and repaired is essential," Wilson said.
The plan now is to overhaul or replace the bridge in three or four years, but that is not yet cut in stone and Wilson and others want that fast-tracked.
