Pittsburgh “Jeopardy!” fans likely knew the answer to at least one prompt on the popular game show Thursday night.
One of the “Daily Double” questions referenced the city’s collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge, which carried Forbes Avenue over the north side of Frick Park.
“You’ll have to wait to cross the Forbes Avenue bridge in this city; it collapsed in 2022 just before a presidential visit about infrastructure,” the prompt reads.
Welp.
It’s part of popular culture now, Pittsburgh. It was also the Daily Double. pic.twitter.com/W64pp2rDYZ
— James Hill (@JamesAustinHill) May 5, 2022
Returning champion Mattea Roach did not know the answer to the prompt.
The 447-foot-long bridge collapsed Jan. 28. Nine people in six vehicles, including a Port Authority bus, fell more than 100 feet as the bridge fell into the ravine below. Four people were injured, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
At the time of collapse, the bridge was considered to be in poor condition by PennDOT. In Pennsylvania, bridges — which are inspected at least every two years — are rated good, fair or poor.
President Joe Biden was scheduled to speak in Pittsburgh about infrastructure funding on the same day that the bridge collapsed. He made an appearance at the collapse site for about 10 minutes to speak with first responders and local officials.
It is unclear if “Jeopardy!” writers were referencing the bridge by its location on Forbes Avenue or if they incorrectly referred to it as the Forbes Avenue Bridge. A “Jeopardy!” spokeswoman did not respond for comment.
The Fern Hollow Bridge is seemingly named after the Fern Hollow ravine and Fern Hollow Creek that it carried travelers over. It is unclear where the “Fern Hollow” name originated.
The game show’s question came on the same day that the NTSB released an updated report on the collapse.
The report revealed new information on injuries and video footage frames that depicted the moments before the bridge collapsed.
NTSB plans to issue safety recommendations once it determines the probable cause of the collapse. It could take 12 to 18 months for the board to release its final report.
