McCandless bridge inspections find no structural problems

A PennDOT inspection report found no structural problems in six bridges evaluated in McCandless.

The local bridges require some regular maintenance and were assigned a priority number based on the level of work that needs to be done, according to Robert Grimm, McCandless town manager.

“The bottom line is we’re on it, and there’s no problem with … potential failures of structures of our bridges,” Grimm said, during a virtual town council meeting on Feb. 28.

The bridges inspected include several locations over Pine Creek including Blazier Drive, Oakridge Drive, and Meinert Road and also a bridge on Old Perry Highway over an abandoned railroad.

Bridge inspections cover a variety of conditions, ranging from guiderails, signage and the condition of the endwalls and shoulders, according to Grimm’s manager’s report.

The maintenance needed does not require immediate action, and the inspection showed no danger of structural failure, Grimm said.

Bridge safety has been heightened since the sudden, catastrophic collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge on Jan. 28 in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood.

The town had been working with Gateway Engineers to develop a project to address maintenance issues noted for McCandless bridges in the most recent inspections prior to the Fern Hollow collapse, according to Grimm.

McCandless requested Gateway, the contracted engineering firm for the township, to provide a summary of the state report, according to Grimm.

“I am pleased to say that the work that needs to be done is maintenance in nature and (there are) not any structural deficiencies,” said Grimm.

Gateway Engineers and the town staff had been preparing for a planned replacement of a bridge/culvert on Blazier Drive near Ingomar Road and maintenance for several others. The maintenance contract will be completed this year and the replacement is planned for next year, according to the report.

Inspections are completed by a consultant working for PennDOT.

In addition to state-owned bridges, PennDOT has oversight responsibility of 6,600 locally owned bridges greater than 20 feet in length, according to PennDOT. This oversight includes ensuring the bridges are inspected in a timely manner, that reports are provided to the local bridge owner, and to collaborate with the bridge owner on any required work, according to the PennDOT.

There are more than 25,400 state-owned highway bridges greater than or equal to 8 feet in length, according to PennDOT. It reports Pennsylvania as having the third-largest number of bridges in the nation, with an average age of bridges on the state system of being more than 50 years old.

In other business, council went back to a hybrid format for its meetings as of March 1.

The council moved from an in-person, hybrid mode to all virtual last January as covid numbers increased and hospitalizations rose. Council had approved staying virtual until the end of March.

Council President Michael Tarle said the “landscape has changed” and suggested revisiting the issue.

Councilperson Jason Singer suggested with current CDC guidelines loosening, along with what the local school district and other municipalities are doing, that he would support a hybrid model again.

Dr. Arvind Venkat, an emergency room physician at Allegheny Health Network, and a board member of the McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority, supported the move.

“We were in a very different circumstance when cases were going through the roof and really the issue was that our public public services were very much threatened in their capacity. That’s obviously not the case now. And the level of transmission that has blown through our community means that the level of immunity that is there, both from vaccines and disease exposure for the near future, is likely very high,” he said.

He recommends that in going hybrid, those attending in-person who feel they are at risk, should wear a high-quality mask. He said the council should supply high-quality masks such as KN-95 or N95 or have a supply of them in the room.

Grimm said town officials can ensure high-quality masks will be available for those attending in-person.