Pittsburgh closes Panther Hollow Bridge amid safety concerns
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Deterioration on at least one of the four steel trusses holding up the Panther Hollow Bridge prompted Pittsburgh officials on Saturday to close the bridge to vehicular traffic “amid an abundance of caution.”
“Based on the recommendation of PennDOT and the inspection consultant we will be closing the bridge as a public safety measure until further analysis can be completed,” according to a news release from the city. The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure erected barricades and posted bridge-closed signs Saturday.
The release did not say specifically what prompted the closing of the bridge, which carries Panther Hollow Road over Panther Hollow in Schenley Park.
But a source close to the situation who was not authorized to speak on the record said a city consultant on Friday was updating a structural analysis on the bridge and the load it can carry.
The consulting firm, which the source wouldn’t identify, “saw things that were concerning and called the city. We closed it to be on the safe side and until we get a full picture.”
The source said it was too early to say how long the bridge would be closed. The person said it was as yet unclear how many of the trusses showed deterioration, adding, “We’re still looking at it.”
The 640-foot bridge was built in 1896 but rehabilitated as recently as 1999, according to PennDOT data. Inspectors in May 2023 listed the bridge in fair condition and left it open with no weight restrictions, according to the state.
In the city news release, Mayor Ed Gainey said, “I made a pledge to the residents of Pittsburgh that I will not hesitate to close a bridge for the safety of our citizens. Thanks to the Bridge Asset Management safety systems that we have put in place, we’ve been made aware of this situation early, allowing us to act in a proactive manner to close this bridge.”
A detour route will use Schenley Drive, Wightman Street, Beacon Street, and Hobart Street.
The closing comes as the city was preparing to celebrate the beginning of the rehabilitation of the Charles Anderson Bridge, which has been closed to traffic since February 2023 because of structural concerns.
The mayor and members of City Council have scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. Monday in Schenley Park to announce details of the work on that bridge, which carries the Boulevard of the Allies between Squirrel Hill and South Oakland.
The safety of the city’s bridges has been a prime concern of the mayor since the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed in January 2022.
Investigators found that the bridge, which carries Forbes Avenue over Frick Park and connects Squirrel Hill with Regent Square and Point Breeze, should have been shut down years before widespread corrosion and section loss caused it to fail. It since has been rebuilt, and the city has settled lawsuits filed by several people injured in the collapse.
