A new report has found 38% of roads and 15% of bridges are in poor condition in the Pittsburgh region.
A report released this week revealed a staggering number of roads and bridges in the Pittsburgh region are in need of repair.
The report utilized PennDOT and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) data to analyze the conditions of roadway infrastructure across the Commonwealth.
According to the findings of the report, 2,036 miles of state and local roads, equating to about 38% of the roads in the Pittsburgh region, were in “poor” condition. A total of 641 state or local bridges, 15% of those in the Pittsburgh region, were in poor condition.
A poor score in the findings indicates the road or bridge is in serious need of repair or replacement.
In Pittsburgh, the issue with the condition of its bridges has not gone unnoticed. The Fern Hollow bridge collapse and backlogs in necessary repairs has caused a wider issue in Pittsburgh infrastructure. In 2023, the Charles Anderson Bridge in Oakland was closed by city officials. Inspectors also found issues at the Larimer Bridge and Swindell Bridge. In 2019, the 28th Street Bridge was repaired, yet debris continued to fall from it a year later. The Herron Bridge was closed by officials suddenly following the discovery of structural issues.
National Transportation Research Nonprofit, or TRIP, conducted the research for the report. Its director of policy and research, Rocky Moretti, said the bipartisan infrastructure law has helped Pennsylvania pay for such projects. The cost of those projects has been increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Moretti.
“The reality is we’ve seen that inflation has actually superseded the additional funding at the federal level,” Moretti said in a recent interview.
Throughout Allegheny County, the report found 274 road miles, or 36% of roads, to be in poor condition. A total of 138 of the county’s bridges, or 16%, are in poor condition and in need of repair.
Matt Espenshade, president of the Pennsylvania State Grange, said maintaining roads and bridges is vital as state lawmakers consider a budget that could make cuts to public transportation across the Commonwealth.
“Agriculture relies on local bridges and local roads, and due to certain conditions, we face issues with detours and access to our fields and to our customers. Basically, this is costing additional dollars to our bottom line, and it’s impacting our profitability,” Espenshade said.
All eyes are on Harrisburg as the budget is negotiated. “It’s a state that’s very heavily traveled, and so you have a lot of wear and tear in the system, and that’s hard to turn around,” Moretti said. “And that’s really what state and local governments are really grappling with in Pennsylvania.”
