Pittsburgh Bridge Was Heavily Corroded Before Collapse: Report

Three months before one of the busiest bridges in Pittsburgh collapsed, inspectors documented heavy corrosion so bad it left holes in the steel, according to a report seen by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Fern Hollow bridge, normally a route for school buses and full of commuter traffic, suddenly collapsed early on the morning of Jan. 28, 2022. Miraculously, no one was killed in the disaster, likely because of the pre-dawn hour. The paper obtained the 106-page report from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation through a Right to Know request. Color photos, diagrams, and other proof of a compromised structure did not raise the alarm to repair the bridge. Much of the report was redacted, including the dates of inspections, but one troubling warning should have caught the attention of someone above the inspectors. “The remaining cross bracings are in poor condition. The cross bracing exhibit uneven weathering, laminar rust, severe corrosion and holes in webs at bracing connections,” a report dated October 2021 stated. “The cross bracing is deteriorating due to malfunctioning drainage systems in addition to deterioration, contamination and seepage through the deck concrete (previously noted).”