Construction has started on the new Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park.

A former bridge at the site collapsed more than three months ago, sending a Port Authority bus and other vehicles into a ravine below and injuring 10 people.

PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said drilling at the site began Monday. Crews this week are boring holes for the vertical supports for the bridge, said Maria Montaño, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Gainey.

Work at the site will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, Cowan said. He could not estimate when construction would be completed.

The work is not expected to impact nearby residents or commuters, he said.

Gainey and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued emergency declarations in the wake of the bridge collapse, paving the way for work to begin sooner. Within a week, city and state officials had finalized a plan to allow PennDOT to design and construct a new bridge at the site. Design and construction will be covered by $25.3 million from the federal infrastructure bill.

That agreement cleared the way for the Wolf Administration to execute an emergency contract with New Kensington-based Swank Construction Company and HDR Inc., an engineering firm headquartered in Omaha, Neb. They began design efforts almost immediately.

“The designs are in their advanced stages, but have not yet been competed,” Montaño said.

The city will take control of the bridge once it’s complete.

The design — which has been compared to a basic highway overpass — has drawn criticism from some who say the new span should match the aesthetic of the historic park in which it is situated.

Because the construction is happening under an emergency declaration, some elements of public process are waived as officials work to expedite the project. Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak has said public input will be limited and some public procedures will be shortened or scrapped.

The Art Commission, which would typically be involved in the design, has been left out of the process. Members of the commission have spoken out against the current design and the lack of public involvement. Other public officials and advocates for the city’s cyclists have similarly called on PennDOT to slow down to hear public input.

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