Biden To Visit Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse Site, View Replacement Span

PITTSBURGH, PA — Nearly nine months ago, President Joe Biden viewed the collapsed concrete and shattered vehicles the day of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse. He will return to the scene Thursday to see the progress that has been made on a replacement span and tout the improvements being made under his bipartisan infrastructure legislation.

Biden is supposed to arrive at the bridge site at around 2:15 p.m. He will be accompanied by Gov. Tom Wolf, lieutenant governor and Democratic U.S. Senate nominee John Fetterman and other Democratic officials.

“The president will highlight how this bridge is symbolic of many other bridges and infrastructure across the country in need of repair, and the impact that his administration's historic investments through the bipartisan infrastructure law are having across the nation," a White House statement provided to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.

The 447-foot-long Fern Hollow span fell approximately 100 feet into Frick Park early in the morning of Jan. 28. Ten people were injured and a Port Authority bus and five other vehicles were damaged in the incident.

The replacement span project has been fast-tracked. The superstructure steel of the new bridge is in place and PennDOT began pouring concrete for the bridge deck two weeks ago.

The new span could open by year's end, PennDOT officials have said.

The federal government is providing $25.3 million to replace the bridge.