Corroded steel prompts closure of Jacks Run Road Bridge in Ross

Allegheny County officials on Thursday announced the closure of a bridge described as a “vital link” spanning Interstate 279 in Ross after inspectors discovered corroded steel.

The Department of Public Works closed Jacks Run Road Bridge No. 3, which sits between Bellevue Road/Bellpark Drive and Kane Lane in Ross.

There is no timeline for when the 202-foot, two-lane bridge may reopen.

Inspectors found corroded steel within the bridge’s lone pier, county officials said in a statement. That made it impossible for engineers to determine how much weight the bridge could safety hold.

“Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of drivers using the bridge and those driving beneath it on I-279, we made the difficult decision to close the bridge today,” Allegheny County Public Works Director Stephen Shanley said. “This is not a decision we took lightly.”

Shanley said the span is a “vital link” for drivers in Ross and vowed to reopen it as soon as possible.

An average of 4,631 vehicles use the bridge each day, county officials said.

The bridge, built in 1986, is rated in poor condition.

During the closure, traffic will be detoured along Brighton Road, Lincoln Avenue, North Balph Avenue and Bellevue Road.

The public works department in 2021 hired a consultant to design a replacement bridge. That project — funded by the Federal Highway Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Allegheny County — is still in the design phase.

Before the corroded steel was discovered, construction of a replacement bridge was expected to start in 2027.

During a routine inspection last year, inspectors found deteriorated concrete on the bridge’s pier, which connects to a retaining wall next to the outbound lanes of I-279. The county hired a contractor in the spring to began repairing the concrete.

As that contractor was removing the deteriorated concrete, officials found the damage was more extensive than expected, officials said.

While crews developed a plan to repair that additional concrete deterioration, officials asked for an additional inspection of the pier.

The consultant then found the steel reinforcement bars that strengthen the pier were “corroded and completely broken in some areas,” county officials said in a news release Thursday.

Officials are determining whether the replacement project could be expedited. If that’s not possible, officials said, the goal is to implement repairs to get the bridge opened as quickly as possible while continuing with the replacement efforts.

The closure comes amid additional scrutiny of bridges in the area in the wake of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park in January 2022.

Pittsburgh officials have since had to close the Charles Anderson and Panther Hollow bridges in Schenley Park and the Herron Avenue Bridge, which connects the Polish Hill and Lawrenceville neighborhoods, due to safety concerns.