Fern Hollow Bridge replacement; construction expected to begin in April

Less than two months after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh, PennDOT officials are announcing that both design and construction efforts are underway to replace the bridge.

The new structure will remain along the same roadway, with four lanes for vehicles, shoulders, a sidewalk, and a shared-use path. Construction is set to start in late April, PennDOT said.

“With the Fern Hollow Bridge seeing more than 14,000 cars daily, we knew it was critical to act quickly to reconstruct,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday in a press release. “This reconstruction will allow commerce to continue without further interruptions to the lives of community members.”

The bridge collapsed on January 28 in the early morning while the traffic was light on Forbes Avenue. When Fern Hollow Bridge fell, it took four private vehicles with it, as well as an elongated Port Authority bus. Ten people were injured as part of the collapse, but no life-threatening injuries were reported.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board didn’t draw any conclusions on what caused the collapse, but noted that it began on the Squirrel Hill side of the bridge.

Both Wolf and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey declared states of emergency for the bridge, which allowed for expedited design and construction of Fern Hollow Bridge.

“Because of PennDOT’s leadership we have been able to move efficiently to begin the process so we can safely restore this critical piece of our infrastructure to our city,” said Gainey.

PennDOT has selected the team of HDR and Swank Construction to design and construct the new bridge. The new structure is anticipated to run the same path as the previous bridge, which carried Forbes Avenue over Fern Hollow ravine. It should include four 10-foot-wide travel lanes, two-foot-wide shoulders on both sides, a sidewalk, and a 10-foot by 5-inch-wide shared use path on the southern side of the bridge.

Pittsburgh’s Art Commission last week sent a letter to Wolf and Gainey requesting input in the design.