Final report on collapse of Fern Hollow Bridge issued by National Transportation Safety Board

Fern Hollow Bridge should have been closed at time of collapse, NTSB says Fern Hollow Bridge should have been closed at time of collapse, NTSB says

By Natalie Miller

PITTSBURGH — The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its final report on the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge, highlighting failures that they say led to the disaster.

PHOTOS: Bridge collapse near Pittsburgh’s Frick Park

The bridge, which carried Forbes Avenue over the north side of Frick Park, collapsed on Jan. 28, 2022, falling about 100 feet into the park below. Two people were seriously injured and several others suffered minor injuries.

SPECIAL SECTION: Everything related to the Fern Hollow Bridge Collapse

As addressed in previously released reports, the NTSB says the City of Pittsburgh failed to maintain and repair the bridge and PennDOT failed to ensure the city completed maintenance and repairs. The report also says PennDOT’s bridge inspection program was ineffective, using inspection methods that were not compliant with the Federal Highway Administration and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials guidance.

The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the bridge collapse was the “failure of the transverse tie plate on the southwest leg of the bridge, a fracture-critical member (nonredundant steel tension member), due to corrosion and section loss resulting from the City of Pittsburgh’s failure to act on repeated maintenance and repair recommendations from inspection reports.”

PHOTOS: A look at the bridge collapse through the eyes of the first responders

“Contributing to the collapse were the poor quality of inspections, the incomplete identification of the bridge’s fracture-critical members (nonredundant steel tension members), and the incorrect load rating calculations for the bridge,” the report continues.

[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed due to ‘extensive’ corrosion, inability to carry load, NTSB says ]

The NTSB made new safety recommendations as a result of the investigation, including to the City of Pittsburgh to establish a system to ensure the maintenance of paving records indicating how much asphalt-wearing surface is removed and how much is placed during every bridge resurfacing operation.

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