Bridge collapses in Pittsburgh just hours before Biden infrastructure visit

Source: The Hill | January 28, 2022 | Lexi Lonas

A snow-covered bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh on Friday morning just hours before President Biden is slated to visit the city for an infrastructure event.

The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department announced the collapse and said there would be a press conference later in the morning.

The department said police, firefighters and other emergency services have responded to the bridge that fell near South Braddock and Forbes avenues.

Three people were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries while officials will continue to search under the bridge to ensure there are no other victims. 

The department said there was a “strong smell of natural gas” by the collapsed bridge and urged the public to avoid the area. 

A local area news station, KDKA, tweeted photos from the incident.

The gas line to the area as been cut, and the department has asked the Red Cross for help with victim assistance. 

The bridge collapse comes as Biden and other top Pennsylvania Democrats, including Rep. Conor Lamb, a Senate candidate, are set to visit the city for an event. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that Biden is aware of the bridge collapse and his event will go on as scheduled.

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  • Discussion
  • Consistent #51647

    Consistent #51648

    EVERYDAY #51656

    I know where this bridge is. I have a friend who lives nearby. Like most bridges and roads in western PA, the Fern Hollow Bridge has been in bad shape for a long time. Pennsylvanians pay some of the highest taxes in the country including the highest gasoline tax. Yet our roads and bridges are among the worst in the nation.

    And I doubt this BBB will make our roads and bridges any better. BBB will be like every other government program: plenty of money will be spent, but nothing will get better. I’m going to bet most of the money allocated to PA will end up in someone’s pocket — as usual.

    BY the way, it’s miracle no one was killed today. The first responders did a heckuva good job getting people to safety. And I’m sure there was some Divine Intervention at work here too.

    Consistent #51657

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