The Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed, rather spectacularly, in January of 2022. Many of is, here in Pittsburgh, who had crossed the bridge thousands of times found out it had a name.
At present the bridge is closed. It was fixed as of December 2022, but they want to put some finishing touches on it, so it will be closed for a month. In July, it will go back to being a parking lot every weekday afternoon at 5:30.
A year ago, drivers crossing the Washington Avenue Bridge, in Swissvale, a Pittsburgh suburb, noticed that the bridge was swaying.
It was closed immediately.
It is still closed.
The Washington Avenue Bridge is smaller, and narrower than Fern Hollow. It crosses a set of railroad tracks, and a section of the East Busway, that connects eastern suburbs, and the city’s east end, to downtown.
It is not maintained by the state, or the city or the borough of Swissvale, where it is located.
No, the Washington Avenue Bridge is the responsibility of those public benefactors, the Norfolk and Southern Railroad.
That’s right, the people who made things so interesting for folks in Palestine, Ohio, are also making life challenging in Swissvale, Pennsylvania.
The bridge connects one section of the community’s business district to the other.
The community has been struggling, as local businesses have to compete with two nearby strip malls, and online businesses.
Before the shutdown, there were signs of life. The area was becoming popular with younger residents and small restaurants and cafes were opening . in the neighborhood.
Thanks to the bridge closing, there’s quite a detour to get through the business district, including a four way intersection, at the top of a steep hill, with a gas station on one side, and a fast food restaurant on the other.
Many people want to see that bridge repaired, but Norfolk and Southern doesn’t seem to care.
It is quite possible, that, someday, the bridge may collapse and block the railroad tracks. In which case the Norfolk and Southern may have to do something.
They might even repair the bridge, though I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. More likely they will clear away the debris, and put up barriers, to keep people from driving or jumping off.
It is an article of faith among the nation’s conservatives, that private businesses can always do better than the government.
The government had the Fern Hollow Bridge back in operation in less than a year.
The Norfolk and Southern Railroad hasn’t done anything about the Washington Avenue Bridge.
If they had kept it in good repair, it would still be open. But they couldn’t be bothered to do that.
All of which makes me think the conservatives are wrong. That the government can do a better job than private businesses.
The government gave us Medicare. Business gave us thousands of annoying ads, many featuring J.J. Walker, promoting various companies that can provide medical insurance, if you can figure out how to apply.
The government gave us Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy. Business gave us Donald J. Trump.
Maybe it’s time conservatives understand that government can get things done, while businesses are too busy worrying about their bottom line, to concern themselves with the rest of us.