Joey King Asks Valid Question

Gets Non-Answer From The City


With all the recent attention focused on the condition of Pittsburgh’s many bridges, Firefighter Union President Joey King actually asked the city a valid and pertinent question: “Which city bridges should fire trucks avoid because of bridge weight restriction concerns?”

The city’s answer to Joey King: “Use your own judgment.”

???

Let’s repeat that answer to make sure we all digested it properly. The city told Joey King, “Use your own judgment” when asked which city bridges would not safely support the weight of city fire trucks.

Joey said that answer was unacceptable. The Pist-Gazette thinks Joey may have just uttered the first understatement of his entire life.

It comes as no surprise to the Pist-Gazette that the city would not have this critical information at their fingertips. After all, they don’t know the location of all of their sewer and storm pipes. They don’t know how many felons they perchance have in their employ. The mayor’s own staff doesn’t even know where he is half of the time!

Yes, there’s a very long list of things the City of Pittsburgh doesn’t know and that’s because they don’t want to know. The city’s motto seems to be “It doesn’t exist unless we say so.”

But the city firefighters. That’s the surprise. It just seems odd that this one slipped by “In-Your-Face” Joey King. I wonder if the fire department feels a little foolish knowing that some of the money which should have gone to bridge repair over the years instead got diverted into their own pockets.

Hmm……........................................Probably not.

Get Your Bridge Safety Rankings Here: Nationalbridges.com

PennDOT Still Trying To Gather The Info, Says It May Take Some Time

PG reader Mary graciously forwarded this interesting site to the Pist-Gazette: Nationalbridges.com. On this site, one can search for any bridge, anywhere, and retrieve quite detailed information about the bridge(s).

Due to public pressure, PennDOT has recently reversed its policy of not releasing structural integrity ratings for our bridges. They’ve now said this information will be forthcoming, but it may take some time for them to put it together. Just for starters, someone should help PennDOT out by referring them to the above site.

According to Nationalbridges.com, the following Allegheny County bridges have Structural Evaluation ratings of 2. A rating of 0 means the bridge is already closed, 1 means there is an imminent threat of collapse, and 2-4 are varying grades of “Poor” condition. No wonder PennDOT feared the public’s response to seeing these statistics in print.

In addition to the “2”-rated bridges below, there are 6 other Allegheny County bridges listed on the site which have already been closed due to their “imminent failure” status. The total repair costs for the “2”-rated and closed bridges is listed as being $31,297,000.

A few things immediately scream to mind as one reviews this information. First, in all the big cardboard checks Gov. Rendell has handed out lately, $31M would seem to be a veritable drop in the bucket. He couldn’t find this paltry amount anywhere in any of his “rainy day funds” or WAM monies? And he's now bellyaching that the deplorable state of our bridges is a prime example as to why his plan to toll I80 should be accepted. But hasn’t he already earmarked those new tolls to bail out the Port Authority? Oh, excuse me, I forgot. Rendell’s standard operating procedure is to promise the use of the same monies in two, three, sometimes four different places. He thinks we don't remember these things from day to day.

Pittsburgh’s own City Council has behaved as disgustingly as Rendall in this regard. Unbelievably, Council approved a TIF for “needy” PNC Bank when the bridges the city owns and maintains are also in deplorable condition. But what the heck …. What’s more important, feeding wealthy power brokers so as to maintain their political standing, or the safety and welfare of the citizens of Pittsburgh?

Lastly, if this doesn’t just scream out loud for “regional consolidation”, I don’t know what does. Millvale is looking at a half million dollars in critical bridge repairs and “prosperous”, flood-ravaged Etna is on the hook for close to that number. Where in the world (and WHEN in the world) are those two town-lettes going to come up with that kind of money? Multiply that question times 130.

Read and weep, my fellow citizens:

LR 120 Forbes Ramp From Blvd of Allies
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 2% (out of a possible 100%!!)
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 17,688
Cost to Repair: $944,000

Maurice St Ramp from Forbes Ave Over Blvd of Allies
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 2%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 21,160
Cost to Repair: $2,583,000

West Ohio St
Owned/Maintained by: Railroad
Sufficiency Rating: 2%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 3,526
Cost to Repair: $1,251,000

Millers Run Rd
Owned/Maintained by: South Fayette Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 2%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 4,158
Cost to Repair: $1,091,000

Hulton Bridge
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 3%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 21,740
Cost to Repair: $8,749,000

Baptist Rd
Owned/Maintained by: Bethel Park
Sufficiency Rating: 3%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 12,499
Cost to Repair: $426,000

Lovedale Rd
Owned/Maintained by: Lincoln
Sufficiency Rating: 4%
Scour: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 8,772
Cost to Repair: $218,000

Old Hemlock Dr II
Owned/Maintained by: Hampton Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 7%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 200
Cost to Repair: $48,000

Dravo St Over Girtys Run
Owned/Maintained by: Shaler Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 12.1%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 50
Cost to Repair: $257,000

Timberland Ave Off Route 51
Owned/Maintained by: City of Pittsburgh
Sufficiency Rating: 16.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 30
Cost to Repair: $107,000

Hans Rd
Owned/Maintained by: North Fayette Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 21.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 100
Cost to Repair: $188,000

McArdle Roadway #1
Owned/Maintained by: City of Pittsburgh
Sufficiency Rating: 23.8%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 1,000
Cost to Repair: $1,058,000

Pennmont St
Owned/Maintained by: Elizabeth Township
Sufficiency Rating: 26.4%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Scour: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 200
Cost to Repair: $86,000

Wood St
Owned/Maintained by: South Park Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 26.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 200
Cost to Repair: $163,000

North Ave Over Girtys Run
Owned/Maintained by: Millvale
Sufficiency Rating: 33.5%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 2,500
Cost to Repair: $351,000

Clearview Rd
Owned/Maintained by: Hampton Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 34.2%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 300
Cost to Repair: $188,000

Dewey St
Owned/Maintained by: Etna
Sufficiency Rating: 36.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 500
Cost to Repair: $389,000

Fremont St Over Girtys Run
Owned/Maintained by: Millvale
Sufficiency Rating: 37%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 50
Cost to Repair: $174,000

Ramp Below Westinghouse Bridge
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 37%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 7,543
Cost to Repair: $8,145,000

Public Service Announcement: McArdle Viaduct No 1 Has 1.875 Car Weight Limit

The McCardle Viaduct No. 1 on the South Side (owned and maintained by the city) is so deteriorated, it has a puny 3-ton weight limit and is inspected by the city as often as twice a month. Guy Costa insists it is safe “just as long as drivers obey the weight and speed limits,” he said. If need be, Costa stressed he wouldn’t hesitate to shut it down.

Since the average size car weighs 1.6 tons, it would seem that only 1.875 average size cars should cross this span at any given time. And since most larger SUVs exceed the 3 ton limit all by themselves, it would seem these vehicles should not be crossing at all.

Ms. Pist is very interested in fully obeying the weight and speed limits along this stretch of McArdle but has no idea where Viaduct No. 1 is located. Since Ms. Pist drives a whole automobile and not a .875 automobile, it would be best for her to be aware of this precarious stretch so that her crossing will not tip the scales should there be another auto in front of her.

PG readers should take note and immediately assess if they are driving whole cars or .875 cars so as to safely navigate this span themselves. And by the way, if anyone knows where McArdle Viaduct No. 1 is …… please email the PG immediately.

PennDot Refuses To Release Deficient Bridge List

Except They Did So Earlier, Must Have Forgotten

Smithfield Bridge On Their List Of “Weight Restricted” Bridges

In the wake of the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota, Pennsylvania officials immediately went into spin mode, trying to portray our state’s abysmal bridge statistics as something other than alarming.

PennDOT’s initial Public Hoodwinking tactic was to redefine the problem as narrowly as possible. They quickly and proudly announced that Pennsylvania has 30 bridges of the same basic design as the collapsed Minneapolis bridge, only four of which are classified as “structurally deficient” and none being located in Allegheny County.

What about other types of bridges in the area? Are any of those bridges deficient as well? We unfortunately do lead the nation in structurally deficient bridges. A 2006 PennDOT report states that 23 percent of our 25,335 STATE-MAINTAINED bridges (There are thousands of other bridges in PA owned and maintained by counties, municipalities and private concerns) are classified as structurally deficient. However, the term “structurally deficient” can be misleading, they warn. Just because a bridge falls into that category doesn’t mean it is in imminent danger of collapse or failure.

The above parsing and selective statistics didn’t set well with the Beaver County Times. That newspaper decided it was time to get to the bottom of the situation and asked PennDOT to disclose the specific rankings of structurally deficient bridges in the area. Their request was made in April under the state’s Right To Know Law, long before the high-profile collapse of the 35W Bridge. PennDOT refused to release the information at that time and has again recently denied their request, saying this type of information does not fall into the category of “public records” as defined by law.

PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi confirmed their refusal to release the bridge safety information, saying the released information ……… not the unsafe bridges themselves, mind you, just the INFORMATION regarding unsafe bridges …….. could endanger the public by posing a security risk.

“There’s a fear that the general public might not understand what those numbers mean,” Struzzi said. “It might set off undue concern. A bridge might have a structurally deficient rating, and that might be low, but that doesn’t mean that bridge is unsafe or will collapse.”

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the PA Newspaper Association, said PennDOT’s refusal might have sound legal standing, but only because Pennsylvania’s Right To Know Law is one of the weakest in the nation. What a surprise.

“It really comes down to the fact that we have a bad law and it needs to be changed,” Melewsky said. “I think the public has a right to know whether or not they’re traveling on safe bridges.”

While PennDOT hasn’t released a list showing each bridge’s specific safety ranking, it has already published a list of the worst offenders: Bridges that are closed or are weight-restricted because of their poor condition. In Allegheny County, the Smithfield Street Bridge and the Forbes Ramp from the Blvd of the Allies are just two of the bridges that are in poor enough condition to be weight restricted. The American Society of Civil Engineers says bridge rankings in the “structurally deficient” category run from “1” (Imminent Failure) to “4” (Poor). A rating of “0” means the bridge is beyond corrective action and is closed. The Pist-Gazette is hopeful that PennDOT would not be foolish enough to allow traffic on a Category 1 bridge (Imminent Failure) if weight restriction was the only “repair” system in place. Assuming this minimum level of competency, the Smithfield Bridge must therefore fall somewhere in the “2” to “4” category range.

Doing a scary bit of basic arithmetic ….The Smithfield Bridge has a weight limit of 23 tons and the average car (not light truck) weighs 1.6 tons. This means there should not be more than 15 “average sized cars” on the bridge at the same time. The Pist-Gazette could be wrong, but we fear this limit might be exceeded on a daily basis during rush hour!

How does PennDOT ensure the weight limit on the Smithfield Bridge (or any other bridge for that matter) is enforced? Are there signs posted? Are there electronic counters, much like parking garages, that let the 16th person in line know not to proceed forward, that the “Bridge is Full”?

It would appear from spokesman Struzzi’s comments that PennDOT feels this type of information would unnecessarily “endanger” the occupant of the 16th car by causing him “undue concern” whilst he trundles across the structrually deficient bridge.

Where does Gov. Rendell stand on the issue? He wants more money, of course. And he’s blaming the State Legislature for nixing his plan to lease the PA Turnpike. And he's bellyaching about their reticence for turning I80 into the PA Turnpike II.

Before Rendell, state and local politicians and other “civil servants” open their mouths to whine about the lack of funds and resources for our crumbling, unsafe infrastructure (including sewer systems and our electric grid), they should first slither under the nearest rock. While there they should contemplate the millions and billions of dollars they have wasted on building stadiums for their rich buddies, TIFs for PNC and other “needy” businesses, tunnels to nowhere, and a legion of other disgusting, wasteful pork projects. No matter how they spin it or where they try to deflect the blame, the general public has finally had their eyes opened. We know what we see and we’re seeing plenty.