Pittsburgh council advances $1.5 million plan to assess city bridges

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced plans for a $1.5 million contract with a company that would help assess the structural integrity of the city’s bridges and a trust fund to support bridge investments, which may include $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan money.

The bills are part of Mayor Ed Gainey’s Comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Program, which he announced amid concerns about bridge safety in the wake of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse. The initiative aims to oversee the safety, maintenance and funding of the city’s 150 bridges.

Related:

• Fern Hollow inspection had troubling findings
• Photos, injury information released from Pittsburgh's Fern Hollow Bridge collapse

City Council unanimously advanced legislation that would allow the city to contract with WSP USA, an international company offering expertise in transportation and infrastructure, to manage the Comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Program.

The two-year agreement would cost $1.5 million.

Council also unanimously advanced a measure to create the Bridge Asset Management Program Trust Fund, which would fund the initiative.

Councilman Ricky Burgess was not present for the votes.

Officials plan to put $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan dollars into the fund, said Jake Pawlak, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Through the Comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Program, a team of experts will review current bridge conditions and send a report on their findings to the mayor by October. They also will be tasked with developing a list of immediate, near-term bridge repairs that should be made.

“We have significant knowledge of which bridges are in need of repair,” Pawlak said. “The real purpose here is to modernize our systems for tracking this long-term.”