City of Pittsburgh Statement Regarding Temporary Closure of Swindell Bridge
PITTSBURGH — Earlier today the City of Pittsburgh was notified of falling debris from the underside of the Swindell Bridge. Emergency crews responded and the bridge has been closed pending the results of an inspection that will take place tomorrow, Saturday, July 2.
“We will not hesitate to keep this bridge closed for the safety of our citizens,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “If the inspection comes back and tells us that this bridge is no longer safe for traffic, we will act immediately. We will update the City as soon as we are able to on the results of the inspection. We have selected the firm that will be responsible for our Bridge Asset Management Program and are in the process of negotiating our contract with them. We take the safety and security of our bridges seriously and this program is critical for us to make sure the bridges in Pittsburgh are safe for everyone."
The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) had contractors working in the area to address maintenance repairs on the bridge. Those repairs consist of some milling with partial overlay to resurface the area and create better driving conditions for residents.
DOMI is pausing those milling operations until the inspection can determine what happened with the debris and will not resume operations until a revised plan is in place.
I-279, which runs below the bridge and is operated by PennDOT, will not experience any closures due to the inspection.
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