ELIZABETH, Pa. — The Elizabeth Bridge is back open after structural concerns found during a safety inspection forced an emergency closure Thursday night.
PennDOT officials said it opened back up at 6 p.m. Friday for drivers.
Pennsylvania State Rep. Mike Puskaric said in a Facebook post that the bridge (Route 51), which stretches over the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, was closed “immediately” after crews discovered a crack during a safety inspection.
According to Puskaric, PennDOT expected the repairs to take at least two days.
PennDOT said the problem was a “failed temporary structural support bracket being utilized for hanger cable replacements.”
LOOK very closely. It appears crews are inspecting a cable on Elizabeth Bridge — which is closed indefinitely. @WPXI @WPXITraffic pic.twitter.com/ZBYAObPy0O
— Mike Holden (@WPXIMikeHolden) September 27, 2019
Officials said the bridge has cables that run from the roadway to the arch. As part of the ongoing rehabilitation project, removal of the existing cables for replacement began.
During that process, there was a failure in a bracket for temporary cables and concern about a second bracket, according to PennDOT.
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Because of weight from trucks and vehicles that use the bridge, officials said they did not feel comfortable leaving the bridge open because of the bracket concerns.
A shuttle service was made available to get pedestrians from one side of the bridge to the other.
In March 2019, PennDOT began "long-term lane restrictions" on the bridge as part of a $31.3 million rehabilitation project that includes concrete deck and barrier replacement, steel repairs, expansion dam replacement, bearing repairs, concrete substructure repairs, full painting and drainage upgrades.
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