New Fern Hollow Bridge expected to open by end of 2022

The new Fern Hollow Bridge is still scheduled to open before the end of the year, 11 months after its predecessor collapsed into Frick Park.

PennDOT District Executive Cheryl Moon-Sirianni said Tuesday that the first delivery of fabricated steel barriers for the sides of the new bridge and to protect bike lanes came in last week. The rest is scheduled this week.

“That was one of the first things we ordered, and now it’s starting to come in,” she said. “The next two weeks, it looks like the weather is going to be pretty good, and if we don’t get any severe storms, we should be OK. But there is still a lot of work to be done.”

The old bridge, which had been rated in poor condition for more than 10 years, collapsed in late January. Eleven people were injured, including several on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus, and the National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the cause.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Pennsylvania a special $25 million grant to replace the span. Under an emergency declaration, the bridge that connects Forbes Avenue between Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze is being designed and built simultaneously.

Moon-Sirianni said that doing both at the same time has been a real advantage because engineers can design the new span based on the materials available. For example, the project is using precast concrete beams rather than steel, because steel can take a long time to acquire right now.

Additionally, designers can change the types of materials being used on a moment’s notice based on their availability. Suppliers also are aware of the emergency project, she said.
“With that declaration, we went to the front of the line every time,” she said. “And if we wanted 8-foot beams, and they only had 10-foot beams, we could just take them and adjust.”

Although the bridge may be open for the 25,000 vehicles that use it every day by year’s end, some finishing work likely will be completed early next year.