PITTSBURGH — Some Pittsburgh city residents are outraged by the state of a bridge, telling Channel 11 that rusty pieces of metal constantly break off and fall to the streets below.
“There is a lot of stuff falling off of this bridge daily,” said Marcie Kemmler, owner of Don’s Diner on Eckert Street, located at the border of Brighton Heights and Marshall-Shadeland.
The diner is adjacent to a parking lot that’s beneath the California Avenue Bridge, known formally as the Robert McAfee Bridge.
Kemmler showed Channel 11 rusted chunks that she’s collected and placed near the business, with a sign serving to warn customers of the hazard. Our crew also observed a countless number of tiny fallen pieces on a nearby stretch of grass.
Kemmler said her son has been struck by a piece of falling debris in the past, and recently she was narrowly missed by a massive chunk.
“I don’t think it’s going to get attention until someone truly gets hurt and I don’t want to see that happen. I do not want a repeat of the Fern Hollow Bridge,” she said.
After the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge, the city of Pittsburgh conducted an intensive study of the city’s bridges. After nearly 150 inspections, a comprehensive report was released last month. The California Ave. Bridge was rated in “fair” condition, while 32 other bridges were listed as “poor.”
“I’m just blown away by that,” Kemmler said. She told Channel 11 that messages to city leaders have gone unanswered.
Channel 11 reached out to the Mayor’s Office. A spokesperson told us that an emergency inspection of the bridge was performed last week.
A statement reads “The primary components of the bridge appeared to be in fair condition – and while doing the inspection they attempted to remove as much loose material as they could to help mitigate some of the risk of falling debris. The bridge will be inspected again – as per its routine inspection schedule – in March and September.
The City has secured funding for the installation of some type of shielding, either netting or steel structure, for the underside of the bridge to help protect drivers and pedestrians from falling debris. Talks with contractors have begun, but it will likely be several weeks before we could begin installation of this project.
The bridge is scheduled for a Full Rehabilitation project, and the City has selected a design consultant. Preliminary design of the project is slated to begin in spring of 2023 with construction slated to begin in late 2025. "
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