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Pittsburgh closes Herron Avenue Bridge due to safety concerns

A long bridge, blocked at each end by barriers, stretches across a railroad track, bus-only road and several warehouses in a ravine with a city neighborhood on each side, viewed from a drone.
Jakob Lazzaro
/
90.5 WESA
The Herron Ave. Bridge (center) on May 28, 2025.

The city of Pittsburgh closed the Herron Avenue Bridge this morning at 8 a.m., due to safety concerns flagged in a recent inspection.

“Following emergent findings from the City’s bridge inspection consultant and PennDOT, we are moving quickly to close the Herron Avenue Bridge in the interest of public safety,” said Zack Workman, the acting chief engineer for the city's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure.

All traffic will be detoured via the Bloomfield Bridge.

The closure impacts Pittsburgh Regional Transit's 54 bus route, which will also be re-routed.

Officials say the move is precautionary as they prepare for a full bridge rehabilitation project, expected to begin in 2028.

In October 2024, the city closed Schenley Park's Panther Hollow Bridge out of safety concerns. Engineers are working on a final plan for how to repair the bridge's steel truss system.

In February 2023, the city closed the Charles Anderson Bridge for repairs; those are expected to be completed in 2026.

In January 2022, the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed; it reopened in December 2022.

Susan Scott Peterson is an audio producer and writer whose journalism, radio and literary work have appeared with Vox Media, New Hampshire Public Radio, Allegheny Front, The Texas Observer and The Rumpus.
Patrick Doyle oversees WESA's digital strategy and products. Previously, he served as WESA's news director. Email: pdoyle@wesa.fm.