Fern Hollow Bridge could open before Christmas, officials say

Less than one year after collapsing, the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh could reopen before Christmas and reconnect a vital artery in the city’s East End.

PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park is anticipated to reopen before the end of 2022, and possibly sometime next week, though there is still some work to finish before an opening date is set.

“We are anticipating a reopening by the end of the year, and perhaps before Christmas, but there is work that needs to be completed for that to occur, including bridge and pedestrian railing installation, lighting installation and line painting,” Cowan said Wednesday.

The old Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed Jan. 28, sending a bus and several vehicles into the ravine beneath the bridge. Ten people were injured as a result, but there were no fatalities.

The replacement project is entirely federally funded, with a budget of $25.3 million.

President Joe Biden has visited the Fern Hollow site twice. He was in Pittsburgh on the day of the collapse to tout an infrastructure bill and again in October to check on its progress. He has lauded the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill he signed for delivering the necessary funds for the bridge.

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According to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, an estimated 18,000 vehicles a day are being rerouted without the bridge open. This has caused significant congestion in the area, particularly on the Parkway East and Penn Avenue in Point Breeze.

Cowan said the Fern Hollow Bridge corridor is “an important link” for the eastern side of Pittsburgh. Reopening it will improve the lives of tens of thousands of motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, as well as reconnect access for emergency vehicles and transit and school buses.

Even though the reopening date is not set in stone, the bridge still is likely to return faster than many anticipated.

Reconstruction of the bridge was able to move so quickly thanks to emergency declarations from the city of Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania, Cowan said. He said the declarations “saved years in the project delivery process but has minimal impact on the actual construction.”

Cowan said constant collaboration between PennDOT, consultants, the contractor, the city of Pittsburgh and other agencies have ensured that design and construction was done simultaneously.

Several 150-foot-long concrete beams — each weighing 108 tons — were used to reconstruct the bridge. They are the largest concrete beams PennDOT has ever used.

Cowan said that even though the design and construction process were done quicker than usual, every safety standard was met for the new Fern Hollow Bridge.

“In addition, conservative design estimates were made along the way so that, even if slight changes needed to be made, the bridge would still be very safe for all legal loads,” he said.