Pittsburgh Police from Zones 1 and 6 responded to calls for a distressed male who had climbed to the top of the steel super structure over the West End Bridge just before 8:30 a.m.

Police immediately shut down both ends of the bridge to traffic while Fire, EMS Rescue 1, River Rescue and the Fireboat responded to the scene.

A team of Pittsburgh Police negotiators arrived and were quickly able to make contact with the male via cell phone.

Negotiators spoke with the male intermittently, sometimes losing and then re-establishing contact with him over the course of more than two hours.

Finally the male indicated he was going to climb down on his own accord.

The male slowly inched his way down the northeast side of the archway to safety on the bridge deck at approximately 10:40 a.m. He was treated by medics on scene and transported to the hospital for further evaluation.

The bridge was reopened to traffic.