PITTSBURGH — The fire that shut down the Liberty Bridge for weeks will cost the contractor several million dollars in penalties.
Channel 11's Rick Earle learned PennDOT assessed $3,033,200 in liquidated damages against J.B Fay Co. for the 24 days the bridge was shut down following a fire that damaged a bridge truss.
Workers were using a blowtorch which sparked the Sept. 2 fire. The bridge reopened on Sept. 27. with weight restrictions. Those weight restrictions were lifted a few days later.
The assessed damage amount will be deducted from the state’s payment to the contractor.
The penalty could have been as high as $5 million, but PennDOT said based on the times the bridge was closed and the terms spelled out in the contract, the actual penalty was lower.
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