Crane pulls Port Authority bus from Frick Park bridge wreckage

The operator of a towering crane pulled a 60-foot Port Authority bus from the wreckage of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge just before sunset Monday, punctuating a cleanup that also saw workers remove at least one other vehicle three days after the span collapsed.

The 21-ton bus was first secured with multiple cables and dozens of workers who had climbed down to the fallen bus earlier in the morning. Once the elongated bus was secure, towing equipment started to pull the bus up the slope for several minutes starting shortly after 5 p.m., then the crane started to lift it high into the air. The bus cleared the tree line dozens of feet in the air, was then rotated, and then slowly moved onto Forbes Avenue, where it was softly placed on the road. The whole process took more than 20 minutes.

A crowd gathered on the other side of the fallen bridge to watch the bus be lifted from the site. More than 30 people took video and photos of the spectacle as the sun set over Frick Park.

Earlier Monday, Pittsburgh public safety officials responded to curious onlookers hiking close to the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge by opening a public viewing area for the site.

The city created a viewing area on the Squirrel Hill side of the collapsed bridge on Forbes Avenue. People can park in a designated area near Forbes and South Dallas avenues and walk about three-quarters of a mile down Forbes to the bridge site.

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Acting Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said the area is intended to keep people safe and off nearby hiking trails that might be dangerous. He said the parking area near South Dallas Avenue can hold about 50 cars. Motorists are asked to enter on Beechwood Boulevard and exit at the intersection of Forbes and Dallas.

Over the past weekend, many residents visited the site through trails in Frick Park. The park was temporarily closed, but Schmidt announced that Frick Park has reopened with the exception of a 100-yard perimeter around the site of the collapse, which is marked off by a plastic orange fence and yellow tape. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy announced Tranquil Trail within a 100-yard perimeter of the site is closed, and Undercliff Trail also is closed.

Schmidt said that people spotted within the perimeter will be cited for trespassing.

Clayton Loop, Biddle Trail and Homewood Trail are now open.

Police and security officers will be stationed at the public viewing area throughout the day.

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Public safety officials did not answer questions about detours and the investigation into the collapse. No timeline was given on when all of the vehicles would be removed from the site, but that work began Monday. Workers were removing about 125 gallons of fuel from the Port Authority bus that had been on the bridge when it collapsed.

A representative from Allegheny Crane Rental, which is providing cranes and equipment for the clean-up effort, declined to comment.

Within an hour of the public viewing site opening, residents were already walking to view the collapsed bridge. Michael Aronson of Squirrel Hill brought his dog to the viewing area. It was the first time he saw the fallen bridge in person and said it was “surreal.”

“This is like something out of a movie,” said Aronson.

Officials have estimated it could take up to two years and $10 million to rebuild the Fern Hollow Bridge. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Gov. Tom Wolf have declared disasters involving the bridge collapse.

Forbes Avenue on the other side of the bridge in Regent Square remains closed to South Braddock Avenue.

The collapse has affected traffic patterns and commutes for nearby residents. Aronson’s children attend the Environmental Charter School in Regent Square, and he said their normal 11-minute commute was 45 minutes this morning.

Zoe Welsh of Wilkinsburg visited the site on the Regent Square side earlier in the morning, and said she expected traffic to be worse after the bridge fell, but that it has remained relatively mild on that side.

Officials said the public viewing area on the Squirrel Hill side of Forbes Avenue will sometimes be closed because of construction or other reasons related to clearing up and investigating the fallen bridge.