Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge is scheduled to close again. City officials and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Thursday that the four-week closure would begin next week so crews could finish final milling, paving and painting work.
The new bridge opened in December after the original span crumbled in a stunning collapse early last year. Since then, however, the bridge has been limited to two lanes of traffic. After the upcoming closure, Fern Hollow will reopen to its intended four-lane capacity.
The closure will run from June 12 through July 7, city and state officials said. During that time, crews will finish milling, paving and marking the pavement of the bridge.
Swank Construction Company, the contractor working on the bridge, also will install a polyester polymer concrete overlay on the bridge deck — something officials say will improve the life span of the new bridge.
“This treatment preserves the longevity of the deck surface to reduce future maintenance and extend the life of the bridge,” the city said in a statement.
During the closure, traffic will detour via South Dallas, Penn and South Braddock avenues.
While the bridge work takes place during the next month, Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will complete traffic pattern and safety improvement projects along the corridor.
Those updates will include jersey barriers along Forbes Avenue to protect the two-way cycle track; a pedestrian walking space on North Beechwood Boulevard that will connect to the end of the existing Beechwood Boulevard sidewalk; and other traffic-calming measures.
The end of the closure will also mark the reopening of Tranquil Trail underneath the bridge. An array of large sculptural stones and trees will be added on either side of the trail as part of an artistic enhancement project.
Crews will still need to install pedestrian crossing signals at the west end of the bridge; that work is expected to be completed in the fall. The city did not clarify whether that would require any additional closures.
