A steel-framed bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh Friday morning at 6:39am, causing 10 non-life-threatening injuries and a “massive” gas leak that authorities have since gotten under control (watch above).
BREAKING: A bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh hours before President Biden was scheduled to visit the city to talk about the infrastructure bill. Police reported the span came down around 6 a.m. Authorities said there were no initial reports of injuries. https://t.co/oj3FbnvC5n
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 28, 2022
In a remarkable coincidence, President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit the city Friday to talk about the importance of upgrading the nation’s infrastructure. Pittsburgh is often referred to as “The City of Bridges.”
Five vehicles and a city bus were on the snow-covered bridge spanning a section of Frick Park when it fell, according to a statement from the city.
The Forbes Ave bridge over #frickpark in #pittsburgh collapsed at about 6am. Several vehicles and a bus on the bridge. No injuries reported yet. Strong smell of natural gas. Avoid the area #pittsburghbridgecollapse pic.twitter.com/ykkE4YjiiX
— Greg Barnhisel (@gbarnhisel) January 28, 2022
First responders used ropes to rappel down to get to the victims, [Fire Chief Darryl Jones] said. Crews also used what he called a “daisy chain” where they linked hands to reach the victims and pull them out.
Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman told CBS Pittsburgh: “This could have been much worse. We were fortunate that there was a public school delay and the traffic could have been much more pronounced…I’m just grateful nobody was killed.”
The president plans on visiting the site of the collapse later Friday afternoon.
In a statement, the White House said federal officials are in close contact with their local counterparts on the ground and are ready to provide assistance. “The president is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time,” the statement read.
#BREAKING — Bridge collapse near Pittsburgh. You can see several cars down below. No injuries reported, public safety crews reporting a strong gas smell in the area. via Jeremy Habowski / @KDKA pic.twitter.com/lOdRPq0XC6
— Parker Branton (@ParkerBranton) January 28, 2022
The New York Times adds:
[Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey] said that the bridge was last inspected in September. Previous reports from 2011 through 2017 listed the bridge in “poor” condition, and in a structural appraisal, described the bridge as meeting “minimum tolerable limits to be left in place as is.”
Reuters reports:
The collapse came just two weeks after Pennsylvania got $327 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for bridge repair as part of the Biden administration’s new infrastructure law. Pennsylvania’s share of the bridge-repair money is the third largest state allocation, behind only California and New York.
“At the end of the day, this is critical that we get this funding, and we are grateful to have the president coming today,” said Gainey.
Every school day Melissa takes her daughter across the Pittsburgh bridge that collapsed this morning. Today there was a delay due to snow. Behind her, a Port Authority bus balances nose down in the wreckage. This hours ahead of Biden’s visit to the city to discuss infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/2uJsVjnF9u
— Stephanie Strasburg (@StephStrasburg) January 28, 2022