Pittsburgh's Art Commission wants more public input on Fern Hollow Bridge rebuild

Pittsburgh’s Art Commission has raised concerns that the process to replace the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge might not include enough public input or consideration of the new bridge’s design.

Because the work is being done under an emergency declaration, officials can bypass the Art Commission and other elements of public process, said Art Commission President Andrew Moss.

In a letter to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, the Art Commission acknowledged that “time is of the essence” in replacing the bridge, but it called for officials to “briefly pause” the design process to allow for a more thorough consideration of the bridge’s design.

Commissioners said the span will sit in the city’s historic Frick Park and should fit in with the park’s aesthetic, while also living up to the reputation of many other “beautiful bridges” in “The City of Bridges.”

“While this bridge needs to be replaced promptly, we should not act in such haste that we create something we will regret for the next century,” commissioners wrote.

“The new bridge should enhance the beauty and experience of one traversing across or passing beneath it on the forested trails through Frick Park,” commissioners added. “Let’s not allow this bridge through a historic park to be engineered as if it were a mundane highway overpass.”

Related:

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

PennDOT is overseeing the bridge’s design and construction, though the city will take control of the bridge and its maintenance once construction is complete. Wolf’s administration has authorized an emergency contract with New Kensington-based Swank Construction Company and HDR Inc., an engineering firm headquartered in Omaha, Neb.

Moss said the Art Commission is “unaware of any public process that has been part of this major civic infrastructure project.”

PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said the agency is collaborating with Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. He did not mention any partnership with the Arts Commission.

“Due to the emergency nature of the project, the public involvement process is somewhat compressed,” Cowan said, though the transportation agency will be rolling out a website dedicated to the bridge replacement project next week.

The website will include a public comment section, Cowan said.

Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor said he would like to hold community meetings once more details about the bridge’s design become available.

Maria Montaño, a spokeswoman for Gainey, said city officials will take into consideration that the bridge is in a historic park and they will hear input from the Art Commission.

“Obviously our main priority for this project is to safely and efficiently restore access to this important thoroughfare,” Montaño said. “This is an emergency situation. Under the emergency declaration, and working with PennDOT, that means some of the normal, traditional things done under the purview of the Art Commission — like reviewing the design of the bridge — is skipped. But we do want to acknowledge the expertise of commission members.”

Because the park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, she said city officials are dedicated to maintaining a “similar aesthetic” with the bridge.

“We want to make sure this bridge feels like part of this park,” she said. “We realize that this is going to be an important part of our city for a while. There’s a lot of work to happen to make sure this bridge fits into Frick Park and our community.”

The Fern Hollow Bridge that collapsed in January served as a major artery between Squirrel Hill and Regent Square, Wilkinsburg, Swissvale and the Parkway East, and it was used by nearly 15,000 vehicles a day.

Within a week of it collapsing, officials said work to design a new span would begin immediately. Design and construction of the new bridge will be funded with $25.3 million from the federal infrastructure bill.