President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf recently met at Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh to highlight the impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on Pennsylvania’s transportation network.
The state will receive $4 billion over five years from the law, including nearly $600 million in this federal fiscal year.
In January, the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
Wolf and Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey declared a disaster emergency which allowed the city of Pittsburgh to enter into a legal agreement, allowing the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to manage the design and construction of a new bridge. It also allowed PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration to hire a contractor to remove the collapsed structure and develop the new bridge’s design and construction.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allowed PennDOT to quickly dedicate $25.3 million in federal funds to the project.
“The collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge was a visceral reminder that Pennsylvania, like many states, is in a race against time to repair aging infrastructure,” Wolf said. “This problem isn’t unique to our state, but we need solutions urgently – because our communities deserve to know that they can rely on the safety of the bridges, roads, and other infrastructure they use every single day.”