Biden Issues Falsehood On 2022 Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse

PITTSBURGH, PA — President Joe Biden made a false claim Tuesday by saying he witnessed the January 2022 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Regent Square. The falsehood was made on a speech Biden made in Milwaukee focused on the economy.

“A lot of you were with me when I was in Pittsburgh. And, by the way, the – Pittsburgh is the ‘City of Bridges.’ More bridges in Pittsburgh than any other city in America," Biden said.

"I watched that bridge collapse. I got there and saw it collapse. With over 200 feet off the ground, going over a valley, and it collapsed."

As CNN noted, the collapse occurred before 7 a.m., more than six hours before Biden arrived in Pittsburgh for a scheduled speech on infrastructure. He visited the site of the collapse that day, but did not see it occur.

The city-owned Fern Hollow span fell into Frick Park. Five vehicles and an articulating Pittsburgh Regional Transit were sent plummeting onto a park walking path. No one was killed in the incident, but 10 people were injured.

The rebuild of the bridge was fast-tracked and the span reopened in December.