Bridge over Pittsburgh's Saw Mill Run Boulevard to be razed | TribLIVE.com

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A poorly rated bridge over Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood is set to be torn down this week after a judge denied a request to halt demolition.

The bridge, located near Woodruff Street, is owned by the city of Pittsburgh but is not used as a public right-of-way. The span, built in 1930 and referred to by the city as the Parking Lot Bridge, is used solely by the adjacent Rohrich GM Parts Center.

City officials last summer called for the bridge to be torn down because of its subpar conditions and concerns that pieces of the structure could break loose and fall onto traffic traveling on Saw Mill Run Blvd.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in a news release said it will begin tearing down the span this week.

This comes despite efforts from Wabash Properties LLC, which owns the land Rohrich occupies near the span, to force the city to repair the bridge rather than raze it.

Wabash in a lawsuit claimed the city would be violating agreements it previously made to maintain the bridge. City leaders, however, have argued that because the bridge is unsafe and not used by the public, the logical choice would be to get rid of it.

The lawsuit is ongoing, but Commonwealth Court Judge Michael Wojcik earlier this month denied a petition for an injunction to stop demolition, according to court records.

Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said the city’s law department is still fighting Wabash Properties in court over potential monetary damages.

An attorney listed in court records for Wabash Properties could not immediately be reached Monday.

A 2022 bridge report commissioned by the city showed the span had structural issues so serious that experts urged the city to remedy problems within a week.

The report said spalling — or fragmenting — of a portion of the bridge was a concern “because the entire section could let loose and fall directly onto/into live traffic.”

That issue was discovered in October 2022, but not repaired till February 2023.

City crews have since removed loose concrete and repaired deteriorated steel beams.

PennDOT plans to begin the $3.13 million demolition project Thursday night.

Saw Mill Run Boulevard will be closed between Crane Avenue and Woodruff Street from 9 p.m. Thursday until the morning of Monday, August 26.

• Pittsburgh moves ahead with plan to tear down poorly rated bridge• Dozens of bridges maintained by Pittsburgh in need of repairs within 6 months, report says• 3 Pittsburgh bridges in urgent need of work not addressed for months

Julia Burdelski is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at [email protected].

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