After just 2 days, visitors can no longer checkout the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse

The city has closed the observation area for the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse site, justtwo days after it opened.

“It is not safe for pedestrians at this time,” Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Cara Cruz said in an email.

Construction crews have begun to stage large equipment on Forbes Avenue, which necessitated the closure, Pittsburgh public safety officials said on Wednesday.

“The City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) has been working expeditiously with PennDOT to secure a contractor to work on remediation and eventual reconstruction, as well as to support the [National Transportation Safety Board] investigation,” city officials said in a statement. “The contractor has begun staging large pieces of equipment on Forbes Avenue and will continue to do so in the coming days and weeks.”

The state has set aside $23.5 million to replace the collapsed bridge. Officials have not yet shared a timeline for rebuilding the structure.

Would-be onlookers and vehicles are no longer allowed on Forbes Avenue off of South Dallas Avenue leading to the site of the bridge collapse. In a statement, the city called the closing “indefinite” and did not say when or if the observation area would reopen.

The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will monitor traffic in the area and adjust signal timing as needed.

In Frick Park, Tranquil Trail remains closed within 100 yards of the collapse site. Undercliff Trail also remains closed.

Clayton Loop, Biddle Trail, and Homewood Trail are open.

Crews moved the Port Authority bus out of the wreckage on Monday.

A September 2021 inspection found that the deterioration of Fern Hollow Bridge wasnot bad enough to warrant its closure. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the collapse.