City crews inspect California Avenue Bridge on North Side
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The city inspected a bridge on the North Side that residents say has been deteriorating for years.
It is not clear what was learned in that inspection, but officials were out at the bridge on Wednesday.
People living near the California Avenue Bridge said pieces of the bridge have been falling off of it. They want something done before someone gets hurt. The state says the city-owned bridge is in fair condition.
"Fair condition for what?" Marcie Kemmler said. "Fair condition for a bicycle to ride over, maybe?
Kemmler lives and works right under the bridge. And after witnessing pieces of it falling, she brought her concerns about the bridge's integrity to KDKA-TV.
"I would just like to have some answers," Kemmler said. "I don't want to have a repeat of history of what happened with the Fern Hollow Bridge."
On Wednesday, crews inspected the bridge. Using bucket trucks, they got an up-close look at the structure. KDKA-TV also saw rusted chunks of metal being scrapped off the bridge.
"I'm infuriated because, how is that even safe?" Kemmler said.
Kemmler said she is glad someone is paying attention to her concerns, but she doesn't know much else about the future of the bridge. She does know, however, it's not getting any safer.
"I would hope that just they take care of it, take some initiative and really look into it and get it done," Kemmler said.
The city said it is waiting on the inspection report to determine what happens next.
