Pittsburgh, PA – Governor Tom Wolf and Mayor Ed
Gainey are announcing the newly constructed Fern Hollow Bridge has opened to
traffic today, Thursday, December 22.
At approximately 1:30
p.m. the Fern Hollow Bridge opened to a single-lane of bi-directional traffic.
Additionally, the shared use path on the southern side of the structure is open
to bicycles and pedestrians. The reopening is occurring a day earlier than
anticipated due to the incoming winter storm.
The bridge, which
carries Forbes Avenue over Frick Park, is owned and maintained by the City of
Pittsburgh. The bridge is opening a mere 11 months after the structure
collapsed on January 28, 2022.
Immediately following
the collapse, Gov. Wolf and Mayor Gainey issued Declaration of Disaster
Emergency Proclamations, which allowed the City of Pittsburgh to enter into a
legal agreement to allow the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
(PennDOT) to manage the design and construction of the new Fern Hollow Bridge.
The proclamations also provided the Federal Highway Administration and PennDOT
the approval to immediately contract with Swank Construction Company and HDR
Inc. for the removal of the collapsed structure, and the design and
construction of the new Fern Hollow Bridge.
Thanks to
collaboration with the City of Pittsburgh and PennDOT’s innovative approach to
the standard design process, multiple design phases occurred simultaneously
including foundation, substructure, superstructure, utility relocation,
environmental and aesthetic aspects of the project, which allowed project
delivery to be expedited by multiple years.
Wingwall work, a
bridge deck overlay, park restoration, and miscellaneous construction
activities will continue on the project through the spring of 2023. Additional
closures are anticipated to complete the deck overlay work. Details will be
provided in advance of any major restrictions.
Information on the
construction of the new Fern Hollow Bridge can be found on PennDOT’s website.
To learn more about transportation investments across Pennsylvania, visit
projects.PennDOT.gov.
Motorists can check
conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter
conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com.
511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay
warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than
1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also
available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by
calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA
website.
Information about
infrastructure in District 11 including completed work and
significant projects, is available at http://www.penndot.gov/D11Results. Find
PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
Follow PennDOT on
Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/511PAPittsburgh and
like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and
Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.
MEDIA CONTACT: Maria Montano (City of
Pittsburgh) - 412-500-6669
Steve Cowan (PennDOT) –
412-334-5436