Mayor Gainey launches bridge repair and infrastructure funding program

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday outlined plans to investigate the city’s infrastructure needs and make provisions for the repair and upkeep of bridges.

“We’re known as the city of bridges, and for far too long, we’ve let our bridges be underfunded,” Gainey said.

In the wake of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in January, Gainey said, his administration has heard the concerns of residents who worry other Pittsburgh bridges may also be unstable.

That was the impetus to launch a new bridge asset management program, which will work to make sure bridges are safe and maintained, while also helping city officials determine how much funding is needed for local infrastructure and how it should be allocated, the mayor said.

The city launched a request for proposals Thursday to find experts to lead the program.

The bridge asset management team will be tasked with reviewing current bridge conditions and sending the mayor a report on their findings by October, Gainey said.

They also will develop a list of immediate, near-term bridge repairs that need to be made, including those that the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure have already identified as in need of repairs, and any additional bridges the team feels need attention.

The bridge asset management program will develop a comprehensive asset management plan for each of the city’s bridges, complete with recommendations for investments that can ensure a bridge’s safety and expand its lifespan, Gainey said.

The final portion of the program, he said, is the creation of a bridge maintenance division that will be responsible for bridge maintenance and upkeep.

It’s all part of the mayor’s goal to make Pittsburgh “the safest city in America,” which, he said, requires safe and reliable infrastructure.

“Modern infrastructure is critical to our ability to ensure future economic growth, global competitiveness and prosperity,” Gainey said.

The mayor is convening a roundtable meeting with other mayors in the region and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission next week — during National Infrastructure Week — to further discuss the area’s infrastructure needs and potential funding for such projects.

The mayor said he has heard specific concerns regarding the city’s Swindell Bridge, which goes over the Parkway North / I-279 on the North Side. A team has already visited the site, he said, and another inspection is slated for this month.

“The moment the inspector thinks the bridge is unsafe, we will not hesitate to close it immediately,” Gainey said.

In the aftermath of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, the mayor had ordered reinspection of all city-owned bridges rated in poor condition.

Gainey declined to offer any estimates regarding how much of an investment the city would make in infrastructure, saying the forthcoming comprehensive bridge management report will reveal a clearer picture of what kind of funding the city needs. He also is awaiting his transition team’s report on infrastructure, which he expects to receive in the coming weeks.

Gainey has traveled to Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., to advocate for state and federal funding for Pittsburgh’s infrastructure needs, but he did not offer any update on that potential funding.