PITTSBURGH —The U.S. Department of Transportation has committed $25.3 million to the replacement of the Fern Hollow Bridge, which collapsed Friday into a ravine below it in Frick Park.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation confirmed Tuesday that the money will be made available through the National Highway Performance Program. The funds are directly related to additional funding that became available because of the bipartisan infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed into law in November.
The funding is expected to cover the full cost of replacing the 497-foot Forbes Avenue bridge in Point Breeze without the need for a local match. PennDOT is working with federal and local officials to begin the design of the replacement and cut through red tape to move the project as quickly as possible, but it could take as long as two years before a new bridge opens.
Ten people were hurt, none with life-threatening injuries, and had to be rescued by emergency personnel after the four-lane bridge collapsed about 6:45 a.m. Friday. Seven vehicles, including a Port Authority bus containing two passengers and a driver, dropped into the ravine with the bridge.
The 49-year-old structure had been rated in "poor" condition for at least 10 years before the collapse because of deck and superstructure deterioration.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been at the site since Friday and expects its investigation into the cause of the collapse to take as long as 18 months.
