A Port Authority bus was on the Fern Hollow Bridge when it collapsed. (Courtesy: Tracy Baton)
by TyLisa C. Johnson, PublicSource
A bridge falls. Pittsburgh makes national headlines. Then, a swarm of government responses, lawsuits and impacts that reverberated through the community. Four months later, where are we?
Bridge maintenance rocketed to the top of Mayor Ed Gainey’s priorities following the collapse in January. The city plans to solicit bids and pick a vendor to craft a comprehensive bridge maintenance plan by June 17.
PublicSource compiled a timeline of the day the Fern Hollow bridge collapsed and all that has followed, plus, what’s next.
All falls down — Jan. 28, 2022
A loud noise. Sounds of hissing. Smells of natural gas.
When it was still pitch black outside on a brisk January morning, the 447-foot Fern Hollow Bridge fell. In an instant, the long-standing centerpiece was no more.
At the time, a Port Authority 61B bus was headed to Braddock from downtown Pittsburgh. In total, nine people in six vehicles collapsed with the bridge.
First responders arrived, gained control of a gas leak and rappelled nearly 150 feet, forming a human chain to pull people to safety. Canines were brought to assist. The state’s Urban Search and Rescue team was called. Some homes were evacuated.
The stunning news made the rounds. Local residents descended on the scene to peer at the wreckage and make sense of what happened. Politicians arrived to assess the damage. President Joe Biden visited the site shortly after he arrived in the city to give a previously scheduled speech about infrastructure and doubled down on the country’s need to invest in its bridges and roads.
Within hours of the collapse, Mayor Ed Gainey was speaking just steps in front of the cavernous space where the bridge once stood as cameras shuttered and nearby residents and onlookers watched in amazement.
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