Latest round of Swindell Bridge repairs leave some drivers concerned

PITTSBURGH — “What was repaired about it?” asked driver Montell Banks.

That’s the big question many drivers have after this latest round of repairs to the Swindell Bridge.

“They didn’t do anything besides switch sides and make it a bigger problem,” Banks continued.

And after a month of repairs, gaping potholes, patches, and a hard-to-navigate lane closure that forces drivers to stop midway through the bridge, the problems remain. Drivers we spoke with say they feel just as unsafe as they did before the closure.

“I only give my car three seconds to stay on that bridge because I know it isn’t fixed all the way, so I am going to hurry up and make it across before it falls,” Banks said.

The city announced that the bridge would be closed from July 10 through Aug. 7 while they installed steel beams underneath the structure. A news release went on to say that they planned to remove the one-lane traffic restriction, but it now appears more time and another closure will be needed.

“Yeah, it makes us upset because now we have to go all the way down the hill by Giant Eagle, come up this way just to go back around just to go back up that way,” Banks said.

Channel 11 News reached out to the city for an update, and the city shared that while the bridge is reopened and the repairs to the Western end of the structure are completed, inspectors identified a new issue with the Eastern end of the bridge.

The mayor’s office shared:

“While repairs were taking place, our inspection consultant notified us of a new bridge load rating analysis to reflect the latest documented of the structure on the Eastern end. As a result, there’s now a one lane stop controlled operation in place on the other end (Eastern) which is to allow for safe passage of all legal loads including trucks and buses. Restrictions will be there for the foreseeable future.”

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