Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Agency to announce the suspected cause of a 2022 bridge collapse over a Pittsburgh ravine

Federal regulators are about to announce what they believe caused a bridge to collapse in Pittsburgh more than two years ago, sending vehicles plummeting into a ravine and injuring several people

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 21 February 2024 05:13 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Federal regulators are about to announce what they believe caused a bridge to collapse in Pittsburgh more than two years ago, sending vehicles plummeting into a ravine and injuring several people.

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to vote Wednesday on the results of its investigation into the Jan. 28, 2022, collapse of the Forbes Avenue bridge over Fern Hollow Creek, as well as recommendations about how to prevent something similar from happening again.

In May, NTSB investigators said drainage problems on the steel bridge led to the deterioration of the structure's metal legs and that necessary maintenance to clear debris, dirt and leaves had not occurred.

The 447-foot-long (136-meter) bridge's collapse dropped a bus and four cars about 100 feet (30 meters) on the day President Joe Biden visited Pittsburgh to promote spending on infrastructure. Another vehicle drove off the east bridge abutment and landed on its roof.

A new bridge at the site opened to traffic in December 2022. The old bridge was about 50 years old when it collapsed and had been under a 26-ton (24,000 kilo) posted weight limit since 2014.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in