Pittsburgh bridge collapses on day Biden to visit city to talk infrastructure
Last edited Sat Jan 29, 2022, 07:45 AM - Edit history (2)
Source: Washington Post
A Pittsburgh bridge collapsed early Friday, according to authorities, just hours before President Biden was scheduled to visit the city to talk about infrastructure.
No injuries were immediately reported, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety, which reported a "confirmed bridge collapse" at around 6:50 a.m. A photo from KDKA shows at least four vehicles, including a Port Authority bus, on the bridge near Forbes and Braddock avenues, which splits the Point Breeze, Regent Square and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. Another vehicle is shown dangling near the edge of the collapsed bridge.
Police, fire and EMS personnel are responding to the collapse. Public Safety said there was "a strong smell of natural gas in the area." Nearby homes are being evacuated due to the gas smell, according to KDKA. "Please avoid if at all possible," the agency tweeted.
The collapse comes the same day that Biden is visiting Pittsburgh to discuss infrastructure. As part of his trip, the president will visit the research and development hub of Mill 19, which was part of the infrastructure deal passed by Congress last year. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/01/28/pittsburgh-bridge-collapse/
(Edit to add an overhead shot for perspective)
UPDATE - at least 10 people with non-life threatening injuries -
By Amanda Holpuch
Jan. 28, 2022, 9:20 a.m. ET
At least 10 people were injured after a bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh on Friday morning, according to officials, who said none of the injuries were life threatening. It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse, which happened at around 7 a.m. near Frick Park, hours before President Biden was scheduled to visit the city to discuss infrastructure. Darryl Jones, the Pittsburgh fire chief, said the bridge collapse had also caused a "massive" gas leak that was now under control.
Officials said there was a strong smell of natural gas in the area and that they had temporarily evacuated residents who lived nearby. Mr. Jones said that at the time of the collapse three or four cars and a bus were on the bridge, which went over a wooded area in the park. Mr. Jones said emergency responders rappelled down the collapse site to help people and used a "daisy chain with hands just grabbing people and pulling them up" in the rescue.
Adam Brandolph, a spokesman for the Port Authority of Pittsburgh, said in an email that the bus had nearly reached one side of the bridge when the structure began to collapse. There were two passengers onboard with the driver, he said, and no injuries were reported. The White House said in a statement that Mr. Biden had been told about the bridge collapse.
"The president is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time," the White House said in a statement. "The president will proceed with trip planned for today and will stay in touch with officials on the ground about additional assistance we can provide."
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/28/us/pittsburgh-bridge-collapse-biden.html
Here's a tweet from the Public Safety showing the scale and the bus that was on the bridge when it collapsed -
Link to tweet
@PghPublicSafety
Image
8:48 AM · Jan 28, 2022
Link to tweet
@KDKA
BREAKING: A bridge along Forbes Avenue near Frick Park has collapsed. (📷: Jeremy Habowski) https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2022/01/28/bridge-collapse-near-frick-park-point-breeze/
Image
7:08 AM · Jan 28, 2022
Link to tweet
@PghPublicSafety
UPDATE 2:
Gas line has been cut. Updates on injuries will be provided once PIO is on scene.
Red Cross has been contacted for victim assistance.
Pittsburgh Public Safety
@PghPublicSafety
UPDATE:
There is a strong smell of natural gas in the area. Please avoid if at all possible. Public Information Officer is en route https ://twitter.com/pghpublicsafety/status/1487030214903353344
7:50 AM · Jan 28, 2022
= new reply since forum marked as read
They never pass up an opportunity.
...that collapsed bridge will be presented as "Biden's America."
Oops! I think OANN's already posted that! 
We do everything by Jewish Space Laser now. It saves time and money. 
I'm going to have to borrow it! 
to get a sense of the scale.
Another pic of the bus (I call them "suture buses" - I think the technical term is "articulated bus" ) -
Pittsburgh is surrounded by many hills and ravines (with the 3 rivers there and all the tributaries) so you have these types of bridges going over the feeder streams. We have some like that too over here in Philly.
I remember my first trip there (work-related) and after work, one of my coworkers there took me around the city and surrounding area including taking a ride on the Duquesne Incline.
It was pretty cool. 
as well as one of my bosses who was born and raised there, that the city was very pretty. They would look at me a bit puzzled and then would say, "Yeah, I guess it is". 
Of course they would then launch into how it "used to be" there when they were growing up when you couldn't even enjoy that view in the pics due to the smog and other pollution from the steel mills. My boss would add that on certain days, his family couldn't even hang up sheets or shirts (particularly whites) out on a laundry line because by the time they were dry, they would be soot-covered. 
Considering that their whole being was tied to the steel mills, I am glad that they were able to make that transition to a variety of industries (particularly medical research) when steel all but collapsed and that helped to mitigate the environmental issues there including air quality.
"SENDING PRAYERS"
Nevermind voting for funding to fix these sorts of things (because "socialisms" and "evul Dumbocrats" and all that), but just pray it all away.
Conspiracy? Did Biden hire someone to destroy the bridge before visit to justify infrastructure spending.... more on this tonight on Hannity!
reported.
Seeing the photos reminds me of when the 1-35W bridge collapse here in Minneapolis.
I can imagine that because of how the city is situated, except for the hilly areas, the rest probably has a high water table due to those rivers. And with the freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw from the winters, eventually the roadways and underlying support can give way.
Whenever we have big water main breaks here on the other side of the state, a similar danger exists where that high-pressure water spewing from the broken pipe under the road surface undermines the earthen support, and the sink holes appear, swallowing cars into them. 
But seriously, my heart goes out to everyone who is injured.
To Republicans who don't want to spend money on infrastructure I say: Fuck you.
I know the scariest bridge that I recall was an old 1800s train bridge that was finally replaced in the '80s. I used to ride the train that went over that back and forth to elementary school.
The replacement
This is one I have used quite a bit (including by bike) but had no idea what it looked like "underneath" because of the trees and vegetation on either side from the span). I just know it was closed for at least a year when it was replaced.
Then there are the bigger "ravine connecting" bridges like the Walnut Lane bridge that went through renovations about 6 years ago and is currently about 115 years old.
There are literally tens (or more) of thousands of these types of bridges around the country.
The bus through the pavement also happened in Pittsburgh.
and fortuitous. I hope the injuries were not severe...just like climate change, infrastructure decay is a symptom of the declination of a society. It has to be addressed. 
At least the billionaires got their tax cuts.
I expect it will have to be completely dismantled and they will need to start over. It might take a couple years including engineering assessments regarding what parts failed and why, plus environmental impact assessments (since it is running through a park), although there are some techniques that use "modular" components in building bridges that could speed the process.
Here are some good overhead perspective shots of it -
