Pittsburgh Review

Gov. Tom Wolf recently attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, which opened at the end of December after collapsing last January 28.

According to a release by on December 21, the bridge is owned by the city and takes Forbes Avenue over Frick Park, Fern Hollow Creek and Tranquil Trail. Wolf recalled the day of the collapse and praised the state for getting the bridge back up and running.

“I was here on January 28 to survey the damage from the collapse, and today, less than a year later, I stand before a bridge that is nearly ready to reopen to traffic,” said Wolf. “This is the power of government working for the people in Pennsylvania. I’m thankful to all of our partners in state, local and federal government for your partnership and coordination to rebuild the Fern Hollow Bridge in less than a year. It’s an honor to be here to celebrate this incredible milestone for Pittsburgh.”

Mayor Ed Gainey and the governor called for a Declaration of Disaster Emergency Proclamations after the bridge collapsed. This allowed Pittsburgh to work legally with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on the design and construction of the new bridge. It also allowed the Federal Highway Administration and PennDOT to approve the contract with Swank Construction Company and HDR Inc. to remove the remains of the former bridge and be responsible for both the design and construction for the new project.

“This is a historic day for Pittsburgh,” said Mayor Gainey. “The rebuilding of Fern Hollow bridge in less than one year shows what we can accomplish when we work together. Thank you to President Biden, Governor Wolf, PennDOT and everyone who made this day possible.”

While the substructure, superstructure and concrete deck placement is finished, work will continue into 2023. This spring construction will be the bridge deck overlay and wingwall work. There will be a single lane of bi-directional traffic while work is completed.

Also at the ribbon cutting was PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian, who called the bridge a result of an “incredible collaboration.”

“And thanks to the federal investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we were able to quickly mobilize to rebuild this bridge without impacting funds for other important projects,” Gramian said.

This project was made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that allowed PennDOT to use $25.3 million in funds. The BIL is set to bring $4 billion in new highway and bridge funds to the state over five years, with about $600 million coming this fiscal year.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation is proud to support the City of Pittsburgh, PennDOT and other project partners who collaborated so effectively to rebuild the Fern Hollow Bridge,” said USDOT Director of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Implementation Katie Thomson. “This spirit of teamwork meant decisions could be made quickly and this vital link for all transportation modes was able to be restored in record time. This remarkable achievement speaks to the professionalism of all involved and dedication to serving the traveling public.”