A crane is in place on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, as part of clean up efforts at the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh that collapsed Friday, Jan. 28. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
How safe are Pa.’s bridges?
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Scott LaMar
A crane is in place on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, as part of clean up efforts at the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh that collapsed Friday, Jan. 28. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Airdate: Tuesday, February 8, 2022
The collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh last month left many wondering how safe are bridges in Pennsylvania?
Inspectors had rated the bridge in “poor” condition. That doesn’t mean it was unsafe, but that it needed attention.
According to the report from the Associated Press, “Inspectors, who are trained engineers, largely perform detailed visual inspections of the three major structures of a bridge — the deck on which vehicles drive, the structure that carries the deck, and the substructure or culverts that hold up that superstructure. Other inspection methods are used underwater or when needed to determine whether corrosion has affected the weight a bridge can carry.”
Pennsylvania has nearly 3,200 bridges that are rated in poor condition. The number of poor bridges has actually gone down in recent years.
The infrastructure bill recently passed by Congress and signed by President Biden would provide $1.6 billion for Pennsylvania’s bridges.
Tuesday’s Smart Talk features a conversation about bridges and bridge safety. Our guest is Cathy Farrell, co-chair of the 2018 Report Card for Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers and Associate Vice president Department Manager, Pennsylvania Transportation with HNTB Corporation.
