Washington Avenue Bridge in Swissvale shut down
SWISSVALE, Pa. (KDKA) – The highly-traveled Washington Avenue Bridge in Swissvale has been shut down.
The bridge is a crucial connector, bringing the top and bottom parts of Swissvale together.
The bridge has long been rated in poor condition and raised alarms two months ago when chunks of it began falling. The borough said now it's time for a new bridge.
It's a body blow to the Swissvale business district, but even business owners most impacted like Ravin Bean of Shade's Beauty Salon concede it's for the best.
"It's unfortunate but I'd rather we be safe," Bean said, recalling the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in January.
PennDOT said the bridge was shaking Thursday and upon further inspection, the decision was made to close the bridge out of an abundance of caution. It comes after reports in the late spring that chunks of the bridge had been falling onto the East Busway below during a heavy rain.
"I'm not an architect but to me rain should not make chunks of the bridge fall off," said Councilwoman Abigail Salisbury.
The bridge is rated in poor condition, and the most recent PennDOT inspection reports cite "deck deterioration and fracture critical girder deterioration." But in April, inspectors decided not to shut the bridge down over the objections of Salisbury.
The bridge is owned by the Norfolk Southern Raidroad whose tracks run underneath and which is responsible for its maintenance and condition. Salisbury says the borough is scheduled to meet with the railroad on Thursday of next week to discuss the next steps.
"We would like to see a new bridge, frankly," Salisbury said.
PennDOT will be doing more inspections and analyses and the bridge will be closed for however long that takes.
In statements, both PennDOT and Norfolk Southern said they are meeting to discuss the condition of the bridge and potential repairs.
