Emergency contract to allow for design work to begin on Fern Hollow Bridge replacement

Work will begin immediately to design a bridge to replace Pittsburgh’s collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge and to remove the collapsed one, city and state officials said Friday.

This comes one week after 10 people were injured when the bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park collapsed, sending a Port Authority bus and several other vehicles into a ravine below.

Design and construction of the new bridge will be covered by $25.3 million from the federal infrastructure bill.

The city of Pittsburgh and Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration have finalized a reimbursement grant that will allow PennDOT to design and construct a replacement bridge. Once the bridge is completed, the city will take control of the bridge and its maintenance, officials said.

The agreement clears the way for the Wolf Administration to execute an emergency contract with New Kensington-based Swank Construction Company and HDR Inc., an engineering firm headquartered in Omaha, Neb. They will immediately begin design efforts and will mobilize to remove the existing bridge, officials said.

“Partnership and collaboration will be critical in delivering a new structure on Forbes Avenue,” said PennDOT District Executive Cheryl Moon-Sirianni. “The department looks forward to working with Mayor Gainey’s team to expedite the reconstruction of this bridge for the travelers in our region.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey expressed gratitude for President Joe Biden’s efforts to provide infrastructure funding. Biden visited the site of the collapsed bridge during a planned stop in Pittsburgh just hours after the structure fell.

“My administration will continue to work with our state and federal partners to repair the bridge in a safe and expeditious manner,” Gainey said.

Wolf said that officials “must heed this collapse as a sign that we must take steps at the state level to prevent a future tragedy. Members of Pennsylvania’s General Assembly must come together in a bipartisan fashion to enact long-term funding solutions for our own infrastructure system.”

The bridge was one of dozens in the region rated in “poor” condition. Experts blamed a lack of funding for the deteriorating condition of such infrastructure.