McKeesport officials shut down the Versailles Avenue Bridge on Friday, citing safety concerns over the already deteriorating condition of the bridge combined with the wild temperature swings of late.
“One day, our temperatures are in the teens, and the next, they’re in the 50s,” Mayor Michael Cherepko said. “There’s a potential impact that we aren’t willing to risk.”
He cited an inspection this week by the structural engineering firm STV that said the bridge should be closed soon. The firm is contracted by PennDOT to conduct municipal bridge inspections across the state.
“We received notification Thursday evening that we should be working to close this bridge within 10 days,” Cherepko said, noting that city officials thought it was in the best interest of public safety to close the bridge immediately.
The bridge was last inspected in October, at which time engineers recommended traffic on the viaduct be limited to one lane. Deterioration on one side of the bridge prompted the city to schedule an interim reinspection for April.
The recent freeze and thaw combined with the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse last month in Pittsburgh pushed officials to bump that reinspection up to this week.
“With the recent collapse of a bridge in Pittsburgh, our concern was heightened,” Cherepko said.
Concrete barriers are in place right now to block off the bridge, Cherepko aid. Formal detour signs are expected next week. The detour will follow Coursin Street to Fifth Avenue to Evans Avenue to avoid residential areas.
The bridge, a viaduct over the city’s sixth ward, was built I 1972. The steel 284-foot span has posted weight limits of 13 tons for individual vehicles and a combined weight of 16 tons.
The bridge itself was rated as in poor condition during the last inspection, at which point it was relegated to one lane of traffic. The bridge deck scored a two on a zero to nine scale and was rated as “critical.” The Superstructure was rated as a five, in fair condition, and the substructure scored a three – serious condition.
Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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February 12, 2022 at 02:21AM
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McKeesport's Versailles Avenue Bridge shut down because of safety concerns - TribLIVE
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