BRIDGE HORROR
Frick Park bridge collapse in Pittsburgh leaves 10 hurt, cars stranded and bus teetering on edge of icy slope
A BRIDGE has collapsed near Pittsburgh's Frick Park, leaving 10 injured, cars stranded and a bus teetering on the edge of the icy slope.
According to officials, the collapse happened at the border of the city’s Point Breeze neighborhood in on Friday morning.
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Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones confirmed 10 people sustained minor injuries; however, no deaths were reported.
The collapse came hours before President is set to visit the area to speak about his $1.2trillion infrastructure plan, which includes bridge maintenance.
Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks at Carnegie Mellon University - located just 25 minutes away from the collapse site.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey called infrastructure laws are needed more than ever.
"This is critical that we get this funding and we're glad to have the president coming today," the mayor said.
Gainey said he received calls from the governor and offering support following the bridge collapse.
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Several cars and a Port Authority bus were involved in the collapse.
Photos from the two-lane bridge showed multiple cars trapped below the snow-covered overpass and a Port Authority bus teetering from a portion of the platform that stayed intact.
Read our Pittsburgh bridge collapse live blog for the very latest news and updates...
Witnesses on the scene say when the bridge collapsed, rescuers, rappeled nearly 150 feet while others formed a human chain to help rescue multiple people from the dangling bus.
A Port Authority spokesperson said the bus was "nearly at the East side of the bridge" when it began to collapse at around 6:45 a.m.
Crews helped get the operator and two passengers off of the bus, and none were injured.
"We are extremely thankful that no one from the bus has reported any injuries and grateful for the first responders who risked their own lives to save others," Brandolph added.
White House Press Secretary confirmed President Biden will proceed with his pre-planned trip to Pittsburg.
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"Our team is in touch with state and local officials on the ground as they continue to gather information about the cause of the collapse," Psaki tweeted.
On Friday afternoon, Biden toured the collapsed bridge site with first responders.
"It's incredible, there are literally more bridges in Pittsburgh than any other city in the world. We're going to fix them all," Biden said to reporters.
At the site of the collapse, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said “it’s just an awful surreal scene.”
“I hope it’s a wake-up call to the nation that we need to make these infrastructure investments.”
Fire Chief Jones said that there was a "massive gas leak, but that is now under control."
The families who had to evacuate have since been allowed to return.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the bridge to collapse.
Mayor Gainey told reporters that the bridge, which was built in 1970, was last inspected in September 2021.
The bridge - which has been estimated to carry about 14,500 vehicles a day - has been rated in poor condition in inspections dating back to 2011, according to the US Transportation Department’s National Bridge Inventory.
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation that a poor rating of a state bridge means that “deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced.”
The bridge connects the Point Breeze, Regent Square, and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
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