Structural issues with dozens of bridges maintained by the city of Pittsburgh are significant enough that they should be addressed within the next months, according to a report commissioned by Ed Gainey.

Gainey called for the report when he unveiled his plans for a new Comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Program in the wake of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in the city’s Frick Park in January.

As officials celebrated the completion of the new Fern Hollow Bridge on Wednesday, the mayor said the report was finished and the city is already working to address problems it uncovered.

“It’s been an eye-opener,” Gainey said of the report conducted by WSP USA, an international company with expertise in transportation and infrastructure.

Copies of the report were released to members of the news media Wednesday, but the report identified very few of the problematic bridges by name and it did not provide a summary of the condition for each of the 147 city-maintained bridges.

The report said 27 bridges needed to see some type of work done almost immediately and were designated as “critical” in terms of when updates should be done.

Of those, 14 were related to signage issues, which Gainey spokeswoman Maria Monataño said included needing to update posted weight restrictions and have largely been addressed already. The report said 13 spans had structural issues that needed to be addressed within seven days. Issues have been resolved at 10 of those bridges, the report said. Those bridges were not identified by name.

The report said issues at an additional 69 “high-priority” bridges need to be addressed within six months.

Four of those bridges had signage issues, while 65 had structural issues, the report said. Five of the structural issues have been resolved, while one of the signage issues has been addressed, the report said. None of the bridges were identified by name.

The WSP team said 18 bridges, including eight for vehicles and 10 for pedestrians, should receive an additional inspection to gather more in-depth information about the spans.

Gainey said city officials already knew some of the information outlined in the report, but other information was new.

“I’m glad we found out the things we didn’t know,” he said.

The report did not suggest closing any new bridges because of structural concerns, but it did suggest closing some sidewalks and pedestrian bridges.

The report said the city should close the Lowe Street Pedestrian Bridge, the Broome Street Pedestrian Bridge (which the city is closing) and the Finland Street Pedestrian Bridge, which was demolished after being hit by a vehicle in October.

Monataño said the city began working to address problems identified in the report before it was released.

The city has 30 work orders in motion to resolve issues at bridges most in need of repairs, according to the report.

Gainey said the city is working to prioritize the spans in most urgent need of repairs, but said his administration is still reviewing the report and finalizing its plans.

“It’ll be better when every bridge is taken care of,” Gainey said.

His administration plans to hire a bridge asset manager next year to oversee the Comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Program.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)