Pittsburgh to begin work on Swindell Bridge, 30th Street Bridge next week

Pittsburgh officials on Friday announced that construction projects at the Swindell Bridge and 30th Street Bridge are slated to begin next week.

The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will lead the projects.

The Swindell Bridge, which connects Perry South and Northview Heights over I-279, is set to see a $540,000 project to restore deteriorated steel beams at the west end of the bridge, where a lane restriction and two-way stop signs are currently in place.

The bridge will be closed next week while a contractor installs temporary work platforms under the span. The contractor will confirm dimensions for the steel beam fabrication, officials said.

The bridge will then reopen for about two months while the steel beams are manufactured off-site before closing again.

Officials said that closure, which is tentatively scheduled for late June, will last about 28 days while crews install the beams.

Officials said the work will advance pedestrian safety and enhance accessibility for other road users by lifting the lane restriction and removing the stop signs.

A full rehabilitation project — which will include additional steel and concrete repairs, a new deck and full painting — will come later. Preliminary engineering work for that project is set to begin this year.

The full scope of work, timeline and budget will be determined through the design process, officials said.

City Council in February approved a $1.2 million contract with Pittsburgh-based HDR Engineering to handle preliminary engineering design work for the larger project, which officials estimated would begin in 2027.

The 1,097-foot-long span closed briefly for repairs last summer after city officials were alerted to debris falling from the bridge to the highway below while crews were performing maintenance work, including milling and resurfacing.

Swindell Bridge — which opened in 1930 and is used by about 5,700 vehicles a day, according to PennDOT records — was rated in poor condition in a comprehensive bridge report commissioned by Mayor Ed Gainey and released in December. The report rated its superstructure in serious condition, one step down from poor.

The 30th Street Bridge, which is the primary way to access Washington’s Landing, is slated for $1.84 million worth of repairs. Construction beginning next week will replace the expansion joints, install a new Latex Modified Concrete overlay on the deck, repair sidewalks and railings and update the lighting.

During the first phase of the project — which starts Monday and is expected to run through July 5 — the sidewalk will be closed. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be detoured across the Herr’s Island railroad trestle trail bridge at the southwest end of Washington’s Landing.

There will be no vehicle access between River Avenue and 30th Street and the intersection with Route 28, 31st Street Bridge or Rialto Street. Officials said all vehicles will need to detour along River Avenue to General Robinson Street to Route 28. A temporary traffic signal will be in operation at River Avenue and 30th Street while traffic is reduced to a single lane.

Construction is expected to last through early October and be finished before the Head of the Ohio Regatta, officials said.

The deck of the bridge is rated in poor condition, and residents have pushed for repairs for years.