A two-lane steel bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh early Friday morning with several cars and a passenger bus on it. As a result of the collapse, there were injured, but miraculously no one died, because. the height of the bridge was about 50 meters.
The collapse occurred hours before President Joe Biden headed to Pittsburgh to push for his $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes bridge maintenance.
Sam Wasserman, spokesman for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, said hours after the collapse that officials were evaluating the scene and the city's search and rescue team was still scouring the area for other possible victims.
City officials said the collapse caused a gas leak, but the gas has since been shut off.
At the site of the collapse, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman called it "just a horrible, surreal scene."
"I hope this is a wake up call to the nation that we need to make these investments in infrastructure," said Vetterman.
The scene resembled the aftermath of an earthquake. According to him, a large crack formed at the end of the bus. There was also an overturned car in front of the bus.
Authorities have urged motorists to avoid the area.
A White House statement says Biden will continue his planned trip to Pittsburgh.
Our team is in contact with state and local authorities on the ground as they continue to gather information on the cause of the collapse," the statement said.
The collapsed bridge was built in 1970 and was regularly inspected. Wasserman said that the last inspection was carried out in September 2021.
During a recent inspection, inspectors determined that the overall condition of the bridge was "poor", which, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, means that "wear and tear on major structural members has increased."
