Pittsburgh to fix bridge littered with potholes connecting city to McKees Rocks

PITTSBURGH — The City of Pittsburgh will start patching potholes on the bridge over Chartiers Creek between Esplen and McKees Rocks within the next week.

The move comes less than 24 hours after 11 Investigates highlighted problems with the 80-foot bridge, which is littered with large potholes and has structural problems.

McKees Rocks Mayor Jack Muhr brought the problem to Channel 11 after years of inaction.

Muhr said the bridge on West Carson Street connecting the city’s Esplen neighborhood and McKees Rocks is in horrible condition and could be dangerous for drivers.

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After speaking to borough leaders, business owners and drivers, we took those concerns to the mayor's office.

"We've been at it for three years. I can't believe in one day you got some results. I really appreciate Channel 11," Lane Steel President Paul Gedeon said.

Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, who represents that section of the city, told 11 Investigates she also spoke with the mayor about fixing the bridge Tuesday night.

"It serves so few of our residents from our district, but it has a vital importance to the McKees Rocks area. We want to be good neighbors and do what we can to get that up," Kail-Smith said.

Along with patching, the mayor's office confirmed they're working on a long term solution. It's news leaving business owners hopefully, but still skeptical.

Weather will play a factor on how soon pothole patching will begin, but Channel 11 was told it will be a matter of days.

It's going to cost $500,000 to fix the structural problems with the bridge, and it's still unclear where that money will come from, but we do know the mayor's chief of staff has been directed to find a long term solution that could eventually lead to the bridge being turned over to the borough or the county.

Cox Media Group