BREAKING: Fern Hollow Bridge Collapse in Pittsburgh

[PA Democrat]

Last edited Fri Jan 28, 2022, 09:50 AM - Edit history (1)

The bridge is located in Frick Park, between South Braddock and South Dallas avenues.

Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV reported that four cars are involved.

Multiple vehicles were reported to be in a ravine, and additional medical units were being requested for multiple patients.

A bus was reportedly among the vehicles involved with people trapped.

https://triblive.com/local/frick-park-bridge-collapses-natural-gas-smell-in-area

BTW, President Biden is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh today to discuss among other things.... INFRASTRUCTURE.

[2naSalit]

1. I hope his message...

Will be well received.

[BeerBarrelPolka]

2. I'm Sure

The conspiracy theorists will think this was a planned event to bolster Biden.

[doc03]

5. That was my first thought after reading this. I bet the crazy conspiracies have already started. nt

[Alexander Of Assyria]

18. Only a conspiracy theorist would think of that, so not to worry. They r irrelevant as

as the witchcraft they pitch, remember?

[Hortensis]

23. This just displaced the sunrise or pale egg yolks as the current sinister sign.

Tomorrow something else.

It's almost funny that conspiracy nuts have become spoiled by expectations for constant new stimulation and instant gratification.

[panader0]

3. I hope that there are no serious injuries.

In spite of the horror of the collapse, it's a great opportunity for Biden to push infrastructure.
John Fetterman is already on the scene. He'll make a great Senator, hopefully.

[durablend]

4. Social media fap fap fap

"Highest gas tax in the country! How could this happen? Do nothing Democrats in office!"

[gab13by13]

6. Republicans control the Pa. state houses.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

19. Precisely how irrelevant social media will react...it's a cancer.

Hot on the trail to be FIRST to report…facts go in the ditch.

[Jilly_in_VA]

7. Yeah, and

"We don't need no Build Back Better" blah blah blah. Fcuk Manchin and Sinema.

[PA Democrat]

8. Authorities are reporting no fatalities at this time.

Fortunately there was very little traffic on the bridge at the time of the collapse due to the early hour and poor weather.

[Klaralven]

9. "The bridge is nearly 50 years old and about 450 feet long"

Pretty young bridge. Maybe a design or construction flaw or neglected maintenance?

[PA Democrat]

12. Last inspection in September 2021 rated it in poor condition.

[Klaralven]

13. Who is responsible for maintenance? PennDOT? City of Pittsburgh? County?

[Alexander Of Assyria]

21. Republicans

[Rebl2]

26. They should

have closed it if it was in such poor condition. Yes I know it’s a big inconvenience, but it’s better to close it than to endanger lives.

[Diamond_Dog]

10. I hope no one was hurt.

[themaguffin]

11. That location is already a bottleneck. What a mess.

[Deep State Witch]

14. I have several friends that live in the area

Including one about a mile away from it. I haven't heard in from some of them yet, but the one who lives there and crosses it every day is okay.

[Takket]

15. Has the gop, which ignored infrastructure for decades, started blaming Dems yet?

[durablend]

25. Yes

Soon as it happened. Social media blaming (governor) Wolf for pissing away infrastructure money.

[LiberatedUSA]

16. If we don't build back better, this will continue happening. N/t

[bucolic_frolic]

17. I have bridge anxiety at times

Swaying in high winds or heavy freight and diving for pier inspections don't relax me

[Tommymac]

20. We here in Pittsburgh have had a very wet fall and winter so far. Not a lot of cold or snow...

Except for the last week or so.

This will continue to happen as the Climate changes. Hill slides, foundations getting washed away by underground runoff etc.

We had a tree fall earlier in December on the hill behind us - pulled out of the unusually muddy ground. If a structure is rated poorly chances are greater it may fail.

[wnylib]

24. Since it had a poor rating,

it should have been closed for repairs.

[AllyCat]

22. And only 32 republicans in congress thought infrastructure was worth voting for

We need to call out that Republicans didn’t think our bridges were worth fixing.

[Hortensis]

27. Injuries rather amazingly appear minor so far. They're flying drones

to look for anyone trapped under collapsed sections.

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[PA Democrat]

34. Looks like the piece of the collapsed bridge just behind the bus stopped it

from falling deeper into the ravine. There was so much lucky coincidence that prevented deaths and more injuries.

School delays and light traffic due to snow-covered roads probably helped to limit the scope of this disaster.

[mjvpi]

28. Breaking. Descriptive headline

[niyad]

30. . . .

[PatrickforB]

29. Every year the American Society of Civil Engineers organization posts a road, bridge and dam

report wherein America is graded on an A through F scale for its attention to infrastructure.

But, gosh, it's easy to defer infrastructure spending, and almost impossible to do it now that Republicans have made earmarks a 'bad' thing, plus, there's all this WAR spending we need to do. Heck, they have been talking about cutting all the budgets except the military, raising the retirement age, cutting food stamps, blah, blah, blah.

It is a matter of priorities. Biden has the idea, and it is too bad a couple of our senators aren't going along with it, because this BBB bill as Biden first envisioned it would be BARELY enough to take care of our infrastructure problems.

In 2021, America scored a C- in this assessment. Here's the link: https://infrastructurereportcard.org/

As to the poor people that were trapped in this collapse, the injured and possibly dead, I am so very sorry for them, because it would be horrible to be a victim of a bridge collapse.

[niyad]

31. Thank you for the link. Our infrastructure has been in need of repair and attention

for decades, and it is only getting worse.

[malaise]

32. You nailed it

Rub it all over them

[malaise]

33. You nailed it

Rub it all over them

[Wicked Blue]

35. Maybe someone should invite Manchin to look at the bridge

really close up.

I did a little copywriting for the ASCE back in the mid-2000s. Their annual infrastructure grades have hovered around C and D for a long time.

We need to pump more money into repairing our nation's infrastructure or there will be more, and more deadly, tragedies like this.

[nitpicker]

36. Link to update

https://www.insider.com/pittsburgh-bridge-collapse-human-chain-rescue-2022-1

[Scrivener7]

37. Only 10 people injured "with minor wounds." That's miraculous.