Saw Mill Run Boulevard Bridge To Stay Closed For Up To 12 More Weeks

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Saw Mill Run Boulevard Bridge is expected to remain closed for another 10 to 12 weeks after ice caused it to shift several inches.

Engineers and consultants determined water infiltrated the concrete and expanded when temperatures plummeted, the Port Authority said. The bridge is stable but will stay closed until the repairs, expected to cost over $2 million, are made.

The Port Authority said contractors will have to lift the 600,000-pound bridge back into place and replace several parts like portions of the concrete deck and slab.

The bridge was closed on Feb. 4 after an employee noticed a joint at the end of the bridge had shifted. The closure has required the Port Authority's Red Line to travel by the Blue Line while a shuttle operates between Overbrook Junction and Potomac Station and another between Potomac Station and Station Square.

Also known as the Palm Garden Bridge, the over 1,000-foot span was built in 1977 and is only used by buses and the T.