A key Pittsburgh bridge project has hit a speed bump. The Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge in Oakland, which was expected to reopen sometime this year, now won’t open until 2028 at the earliest.
“As work continues on the Charles Anderson Bridge, inspectors have identified unexpected deterioration in portions of the steel structure,” the city said in an update posted Tuesday. “Addressing these conditions involves carefully coordinating new repairs with ongoing construction activities.
In many cases, certain repairs must be completed before others can safely begin, which affects the overall sequence and timing of the work.”
The city said certain “crucial activities” needed to be pushed into 2028, although TribLive was not immediately able to confirm which activities these were.
The three-span steel bridge, built in 1939, carries the Boulevard of the Allies over Junction Hollow.
The bridge’s unique Wichert truss design makes it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s a contributing property to the Schenley Park Historic District. The current $56 million rehabilitation project has been in the works since 2019, and several phases are already complete.
Despite its historic status, the Anderson bridge is in poor condition. It closed to vehicular traffic in early 2023 and pedestrian traffic in 2024. Around the same time, the adjacent Panther Hollow Bridge was closed, shutting down two main points of access to Schenley Park.
This is only the latest postponement for the Anderson bridge project — its reopening was previously delayed in part due to the need to replace the nearby Panther Hollow Overpass.
Rehabilitation has been further complicated by the need to keep access to the jointly operated P&W Subdivision rail line, which carries freight and passenger trains to the Schenley Tunnel, as well as the Panther Hollow Trail.
