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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jan 28, 2022 13:04:00 GMT
Snow covered . CNN on live.. Biden was scheduled to be in Pittsburgh today to discuss infrastructure. Some injuries.. (CNN)A snow-covered bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed Friday morning, Pittsburgh Public Safety said in a tweet. There is a strong smell of natural gas reported in the area, and residents are being asked to avoid the area, police said. As of 7 a.m. there were no injuries reported, police said. This is a developing story and will be updated. . www.cnn.com/2022/01/28/us/pittsburgh-bridge-collapse/index.html |
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Post by gar on Jan 28, 2022 13:07:43 GMT
No reported injuries so far thankfully.
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Sarah*H
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Post by Sarah*H on Jan 28, 2022 13:27:22 GMT
I'm shortly headed into the city. Schools are closed because the roads are so bad and the President is coming to town today to (wait for it...) talk about infrastructure. Should be a fun commute!
I was terrified when I heard the news but when I saw HOW the bridge collapsed, it makes more sense that there are no injuries. This is still devastating, that is a major thoroughfare between two neighborhoods in the city. We drive on that bridge often.
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Post by mollycoddle on Jan 28, 2022 13:30:22 GMT
Holy cow. 😳
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Post by monklady123 on Jan 28, 2022 13:32:24 GMT
When I used to go to Pittsburgh regularly to visit my parents I always got off the Parkway at Edgewood and then drove up Forbes through Frick Park and right across this bridge into Squirrel Hill.  The irony of President Biden having an already scheduled trip to Pittsburgh today to talk about infrastructure.... I would bet that Biden's speech writer is frantically rewriting parts of that speech right now. wow And, now my question is what kind of commute is it going to be for anyone who lives on the east side of the park and needs to get to the universities in Oakland, or downtown, for work? omg. There really isn't any easy way to do it without Forbes Avenue, except to go way around. And the Parkway is already a mess even in non-rush hour times. |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jan 28, 2022 13:39:36 GMT
10 minor injuries only 3 transported. None life-threatening. Families have been allow to go home. Gas service returned to homes.
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Sarah*H
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Post by Sarah*H on Jan 28, 2022 13:40:10 GMT
When I used to go to Pittsburgh regularly to visit my parents I always got off the Parkway at Edgewood and then drove up Forbes through Frick Park and right across this bridge into Squirrel Hill.  The irony of President Biden having an already scheduled trip to Pittsburgh today to talk about infrastructure.... I would bet that Biden's speech writer is frantically rewriting parts of that speech right now. wow And, now my question is what kind of commute is it going to be for anyone who lives on the east side of the park and needs to get to the universities in Oakland, or downtown, for work? omg. There really isn't any easy way to do it without Forbes Avenue, except to go way around. And the Parkway is already a mess even in non-rush hour times. From what I am hearing, the commute is a nightmare right now. If they can avoid the Frick Park area, you can get into town and Oakland on 5th. Get off at Wilkinsburg. Or stay on the parkway and get off at Squirrel Hill. But the traffic is going to be a nightmare either way. |
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Post by mollycoddle on Jan 28, 2022 13:40:59 GMT
It’s a mercy that no one was killed.
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Sarah*H
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Post by Sarah*H on Jan 28, 2022 13:50:51 GMT
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peppermintpatty
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Post by peppermintpatty on Jan 28, 2022 13:55:46 GMT
Things like this are completely avoidable but the Federal Government has made it their policy not to fund infrastructure. I work in the transportation field at the DOT level. One of my previous jobs was for a firm that would write the design manuals for DOT and do their standard specs. I can't tell you how many times in the last 15 years contracts would be pulled because the DOT didn't have the money or the feds would change the way their money could be used. The feds started putting all these crazy restrictions on how the money could be used and the state would have to pick up the rest of the tab. Well guess what? The state doesn't have the money so a lot of projects got pulled and here we have the result. PA has some of the most structurally deficient bridges in the country. I worked with a Structural Engineer (he was the one that every DOT would call when there was a bridge collapse) and he told me 15 years ago that we were in really bad shape. Not much has happened since then to fix it. Most states will wait until the bridge has collapsed or is about to because they don't have any choice in the matter.
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Post by monklady123 on Jan 28, 2022 13:59:50 GMT
It’s a mercy that no one was killed. Although these new photos show why no one was killed.... the bridge doesn't look to be very high up. It seems like the cars might just have slid down the roadway as it was collapsing rather then fall from high up. Thankfully I think that's what prevented worse injuries and death. Imagine if this had happened on any one of the many bridges over the rivers! |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 28, 2022 15:00:06 GMT
I’m so glad no one was killed, and also glad that now finally some of these issues are going to be addressed with the infrastructure plan. It happened here too with the collapse of the 35W bridge because our lovely Republican governor at the time refused to fund anything, having run on a no new taxes platform. Well you know what? If you want nice things you have to MAINTAIN them, and sometimes that maintenance costs money. It’s not rocket science.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jan 28, 2022 15:40:40 GMT
Things like this are completely avoidable but the Federal Government has made it their policy not to fund infrastructure. I work in the transportation field at the DOT level. One of my previous jobs was for a firm that would write the design manuals for DOT and do their standard specs. I can't tell you how many times in the last 15 years contracts would be pulled because the DOT didn't have the money or the feds would change the way their money could be used. The feds started putting all these crazy restrictions on how the money could be used and the state would have to pick up the rest of the tab. Well guess what? The state doesn't have the money so a lot of projects got pulled and here we have the result. PA has some of the most structurally deficient bridges in the country. I worked with a Structural Engineer (he was the one that every DOT would call when there was a bridge collapse) and he told me 15 years ago that we were in really bad shape. Not much has happened since then to fix it. Most states will wait until the bridge has collapsed or is about to because they don't have any choice in the matter. Do you have any insight on the big infrastructure investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009? It was about $50 billion devoted to infrastructure and was sold as going to exactly these type of projects. I'm genuinely curious from a boots on the ground perspective. I think Biden's new bill is about twice that to roads and bridges. But if the feeling is nothing's been done in 15 years, I'm worried there are other changes needed to effectively get the money where it's needed. |
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peppermintpatty
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Post by peppermintpatty on Jan 28, 2022 16:09:02 GMT
Things like this are completely avoidable but the Federal Government has made it their policy not to fund infrastructure. I work in the transportation field at the DOT level. One of my previous jobs was for a firm that would write the design manuals for DOT and do their standard specs. I can't tell you how many times in the last 15 years contracts would be pulled because the DOT didn't have the money or the feds would change the way their money could be used. The feds started putting all these crazy restrictions on how the money could be used and the state would have to pick up the rest of the tab. Well guess what? The state doesn't have the money so a lot of projects got pulled and here we have the result. PA has some of the most structurally deficient bridges in the country. I worked with a Structural Engineer (he was the one that every DOT would call when there was a bridge collapse) and he told me 15 years ago that we were in really bad shape. Not much has happened since then to fix it. Most states will wait until the bridge has collapsed or is about to because they don't have any choice in the matter. Do you have any insight on the big infrastructure investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009? It was about $50 billion devoted to infrastructure and was sold as going to exactly these type of projects. I'm genuinely curious from a boots on the ground perspective. I think Biden's new bill is about twice that to roads and bridges. But if the feeling is nothing's been done in 15 years, I'm worried there are other changes needed to effectively get the money where it's needed. I do. That act did nothing to really address big issues like bridges. States try to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to federal money so they will opt to do a bunch of smaller projects, like road improvements because they can then come back and say "look at all the work we are doing". People drive over crappy roads and complain. You fix the road and everyone is happy. You have a crumbling bridge and people say "but it was fine". You can't see the cracks and the issues because they are below the surface or under the bridge. Unless they get a huge amount that is earmarked specifically for bridges, States won't use it until the bridge collapses. The other thing is bridge repairs can take years and the State will assume they will have "x" amount of money every year to cover the repairs but in the last 15 years, the Feds have had the control to play games with that money. What they have one year, they don't the next. The state then has to say "we will have to put it on hold for a few years" and then the bridge collapses. TEA21 was the first big bill to address these issues and then when ISTEA started putting more restrictions and by the time we go to the 2009 one, State's were so strapped they had no point but to give up (so to say). There are going to be a lot more bridge collapses in the next 10-20 years. The Feds have a lot of control on where the money goes. The job I used to have, we would update the standards to the current FHWA and AASHTO standards which ensure that the roads and bridges are up to code. When the Feds would pull crap on saying how much money can go to this or that, the State would have to cancel their plans to update their standards because they needed the money for the projects that now lost federal funding. So what happens? State's don't have the most up to date standards which means they don't have to bring certain structures up to a new code. We just saved the taxpayers millions of dollars until the bridge collapses or someone is killed on a road. There is so much more to these transportation issues than most people realize. There is a massive bridge connecting MD to VA (the American Legion Bridge). There are only 2 bridges that do this. VA is so hell bent on not allowing more bridges despite our massive gridlock. The American Legion Bridge has been deficient for at least 20 years and they are finally going to work on it. It will be a huge headache for commuters (myself included) but if that bridge were to collapse, the economic fallout for the entire DC area would be catastrophic. It has taken this long to get the funding together to do this project. |
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Post by ss on Jan 28, 2022 16:26:45 GMT
I retired 1/5/22. That is the bridge I used twice a day on my commute. Typically I was crossing that bridge at 655am, meeting the PAT bus along the way.
That is terrifying.
On the commute home, often sitting on the bridge because of traffic. I could feel the bridge “give a little” as other cars drove by.
So thankful that there were only minor injuries. So thankful I am retired.
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Post by ntsf on Jan 28, 2022 16:50:49 GMT
I know a lot of 2009 money was put into rebuilding doyle drive, which is the road/bridges leading to the southern end of the golden gate bridge. cost over 1 billion and they are still working on it.
it was safety rated 5 out of 100.
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Post by maryland on Jan 28, 2022 17:09:44 GMT
Yes, I live 30 min. away and it has been on the news all morning. So fortunate that no one was killed or seriously injured. And Biden is visiting today.
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Post by maryland on Jan 28, 2022 17:13:52 GMT
I retired 1/5/22. That is the bridge I used twice a day on my commute. Typically I was crossing that bridge at 655am, meeting the PAT bus along the way. That is terrifying. On the commute home, often sitting on the bridge because of traffic. I could feel the bridge “give a little” as other cars drove by. So thankful that there were only minor injuries. So thankful I am retired. Glad you weren't on the bridge today. How scary to feel the bridge give a little as you sat in traffic. I don't think I have been on that bridge. |
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Post by eventhinker on Jan 28, 2022 17:31:48 GMT
I lived in that area and it is a major connector from our Parkway. It was fortunate that there was a school delay and more people weren’t out. A bus is at a 45 degree angle and had two passengers on it.
The fact that only 3 people had to go to the hospital is miraculous.
The “city of bridges” has a lot of infrastructure that needs looked at. Oftentimes you don’t even realize you’re on a bridge!
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