
PITTSBURGH (WPXI)– PennDOT officials worked to calm any fears about bridges with poor ratings. A week after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed into a ravine in Frick Park in Pittsburgh, officials stressed the importance of maximum weight limits. The agency oversees more than 30,000 state and locally owned bridges across Pennsylvania. During a virtual news conference, officials said they are inspected every two years and ones with poorer ratings are checked more often. Officials would not take any questions about the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge but they said five others similarly designed have been checked again. Because of the poor rating, the Fern Hollow Bridge had a posted weight limit of 26 tons since 2014. That 60 foot Port Authority bus that was on the bridge only had a few passengers, but fully loaded it likely would have exceeded the posted weight limit. Pittsburgh Police appear to be responsible for enforcing weight limits on city-owned bridges. It’s not clear if they’ve ever cited any vehicles.