Following the Jan. 28 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, area residents are questioning the safety and integrity of the hundreds of other bridge structures in the region.
Of the 65 bridges identified around the West Hills, PennDOT reports show 21 are in good condition, 43 are fair and three are deemed poor.
PennDOT uses a 1-10 ranking rubric to evaluate different bridge components and assigns the overall condition according to the lowest scoring part.
Bridges deemed poor – as was Fern Hollow before its collapse – are not considered in imminent danger but have been found to show signs of structural deterioration.
No bridges locally are designated “serious,” “critical” or “imminent danger."
