Long-term repairs planned on Pittsburgh's Herron Avenue, Elizabeth Street bridges

Plans are in the works to make long-term improvements to two poorly rated Pittsburgh bridges.

The Elizabeth Street Bridge in Hazelwood and the Herron Avenue Bridge connecting Polish Hill and Lawrenceville were classified as “priority zero” spans in a comprehensive bridge report commissioned by Mayor Ed Gainey and released in December.

Priority zero bridges were deemed to have structural problems so serious that WSP USA — the company hired to conduct the report on the city’s 147 bridges — said they should be addressed within a week. Thirteen bridges were categorized as priority zero.

The Elizabeth Street Bridge was one of three that the city did not address for months after discovering problems with the span. It had deteriorated stay-in-place forms hanging over live traffic. Officials said that issue was addressed in early February.

Problems at the Herron Avenue Bridge were addressed before the bridge report was released.

Now, officials are eyeing larger repairs to both spans.

The Herron Avenue Bridge project would include expansion joint and bearing replacement, concrete barrier and sidewalk repair and repairs to the steel beams of the bridge that make up the superstructure, said Emily Bourne, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure.

The construction work also would likely include repairs to the substructure, including the piers and abutments on either end, Bourne said. The work also could include updating bridge drainage and lighting and possibly constructing a new retaining wall, she said.

The Elizabeth Street Bridge’s project would include replacing the concrete deck and expansion joints, replacing bearings, installing a structure-mounted bridge rail and approach guardrail, repairing the steel superstructure and repairing the concrete substructure, Bourne said.

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday preliminarily approved authorizing the city to hire Pittsburgh-based H.W. Lochner as a design consultant on the projects. The preliminary engineering and design contract for both spans would cost over $878,500.

Council is expected to take a final vote on the measure next week.

The preliminary engineering process “will help to further define the exact scope of work, cost and more precise timeline,” Bourne said.

Construction on the bridges is tentatively anticipated for 2025, she said.

Related:

• 3 Pittsburgh bridges in urgent need of work not addressed for months

• Dozens of bridges maintained by Pittsburgh in need of repairs within 6 months, report says