Another Pittsburgh Bridge Closed For Safety Reasons

PITTSBURGH, PA — Another city bridge has been closed over safety concerns.

City officials on Wednesday announced that the Herron Avenue Bridge linking Polish Hill and Lawrenceville has been shut down effective immediately. They did not detail what structural issues prompted the closure.

“Since the start of my administration, I’ve had to make the tough call to close bridges more than once — but I’ve never regretted putting public safety first,” Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement.

The closure is the latest in a series of Pittsburgh spans that have either failed spectacularly or been shut down for safety reasons.

In January 2022, the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge linking Squirrel Hill and Regent Square drew national headlines and a visit from former President Joe Biden. Ten people were injured when the span dropped into a Frick Park ravine.

A year later, the city closed the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge in Schenley Park over safety concerns. The span currently is being rehabilitated and expected to reopen in the fall of 2026.

In October, the city abruptly shut down the Panther Hollow Bridge in Schenley Park.

It's unclear how long the Herron Avenue Bridge will be closed.

City officials already are in the engineering phases of a full rehabilitation of the span beginning in 2028, but the city is working with PennDOT to explore ways of safely reopening the bridge before then.

While the bridge is closed, southbound traffic will be detoured to take Liberty Avenue to the Bloomfield Bridge to Bigelow Boulevard. Northbound traffic can take Bigelow Boulevard to the Bloomfield Bridge to Liberty Avenue.