Biden Says Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse Is 'Simply Unacceptable'

Biden said the poor condition of bridges in the U.S. is “simply unacceptable” hours after the collapse of a Pittsburgh bridge during a scheduled visit to the city to highlight his efforts to build up the nation's infrastructure .

The bridge that collapsed in Pittsburgh Friday morning ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to the city for an infrastructure speech was deemed in poor condition just four months ago, one of 80 local bridges in such a state in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, alone.

The Fern Hollow Bridge was last inspected Sept. 19, 2021, according to the federal bridge inventory. Its deck and rigid frame steel superstructure were rated in poor condition, and the substructure

was rated satisfactory. Generally, a bridge would not be closed until it was rated at risk of “imminent” failure, which is a few steps below “poor” including “serious” and “critical.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the bridge had been deemed eligible for repair, but did not outline where it ranked as a priority. The bridge was not mentioned in the state’s 2021 transportation improvement plan, which identifies projects in line for federal funding.

The collapsed bridge was built in 1970. Pennsylvania’s bridges are 15 years older than the national average, according to a 2018 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Statewide there were 3,353 bridges in poor or worse condition last year -- 14.6% of all bridges in the state. That ranks Pennsylvania the fifth worst in the country for bridge conditions, behind West Virginia, Iowa, Rhode Island and South Dakota, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.

The infrastructure law that Biden signed last year spends $5.5 billion on bridges, with 15% set aside for state and locally owned bridges that aren’t part of the federal system like the one that collapsed Friday.

Pennsylvania was to receive $278 million in federal bridge funding under a formula grant announced by the Federal Highway Administration on Jan. 14. Of that, $49 million was set aside for off-system bridges.

The bridge carried an average of 14,500 vehicles a day as of 2005, 7% of which was truck traffic, according to the National Bridge Inventory data. That number was expected to grow to 18,000 by 2030.