PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - A two-lane bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh early Friday, prompting rescuers to rappel nearly 150 feet (46 meters) while others formed a human chain to help rescue multiple people from a dangling bus.
The Fern Hollow Bridge along Forbes Avenue near Frick Park came down around 7 a.m. A Port Authority bus was involved in the collapse and several other vehicles were on the bridge at the time.
There were minor injuries from the collapse but no fatalities, said authorities, who also said they were flying drones to make sure no one is under any collapsed sections.
A large number of EMS, fire and police vehicles are on the scene as first responders are at work getting people out of the ravine below. Ten people suffered minor injuries, three were transported to area hospitals. Others were treated on-scene.
According to Fire Chief Darrell Jones, the response to the scene was slowed by the winter weather and a few of the injuries were to first responders who slipped and fell.
Residents are advised to stay away from the collapse area because of a broken gas line. People's Gas is also at the scene. Nearby homes and businesses have been evacuated. This are changing traffic patterns.
In a statement, the White House said Biden would proceed with his planned trip to Pittsburgh.
“Our team is in touch with state and local officials on the ground as they continue to gather information about the cause of the collapse,” the statement said. “The President is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time.”
The steel span, which was built in 1970, carries about 14,500 vehicles a day, according to a 2005 estimate.
A September 2019 inspection of the city-owned bridge revealed the deck and superstructure to be in poor condition, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Bridge Inventory. A spreadsheet on the state Department of Transportation website listed the bridge’s overall condition as poor, which, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, means “deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced.”
Authorities said Friday the bridge was last inspected in September of 2021 but those reports were not readily available. The report has been requested from PennDOT.
Local officials are weighing in on the situation as it's developing.