Local man drove over Pittsburgh bridge minutes before collapse, called it “astounding”

PITTSBURGH — A local man who drove over the Fern Hollow Bridge minutes before it collapsed yesterday revisited the site this morning.

Channel 11′s Lori Houy talked to Matthew Sutton, a Wilkinsburg resident who took the bridge on his normal commute to work. He’s one of 14,000 drivers who used the bridge on a daily basis.

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Sutton said he drove over the bridge around 6:34 a.m. It collapsed six minutes later at 6:40 a.m.

Sutton also said he revisited the site of the collapse this morning to “get a better look” and “see it with my own eyes.”

“Just to find out I was that close, kind of astounding,” Sutton said.

There’s no set timetable on when the bridge will be rebuilt, but NTSB officials said they aim for 12-18 months to complete an initial investigation but it could be longer depending on the difficulty.

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