After finding more deterioration in a bridge pier, Allegheny County indefinitely closed the Jacks Run Bridge No. 3 over Interstate 279 Thursday until it can decide whether to repair the pier or move up the replacement of the bridge from 2027.
At a news conference at the bridge on Jacks Run Road that connects Bellevue and Ross, Allegheny County Public Works Director Stephen Shanley said the bridge had been rated in poor condition and a contractor was making repairs called for after an inspection last year. During the work, the contractor discovered additional concrete deterioration and another inspection ordered by the county also found corrosion of steel reinforcement bars, some of which are broken, leading to the bridge’s closure.
The bridge’s one pier is attached to a retaining wall along the outbound lane of I-279. The 202-foot bridge opened in 1986 and carries an average of 4,631 vehicles a day.
Shanley said the county is moving on several paths at once to gather information and decide whether to repair the existing bridge or expedite the design of the new structure. Design consultant Fisher Associates has been working on the project since 2021, and the county is checking with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and the state Department of Transportation to see whether the project can be moved up.
At the same time, another design consultant, HDR, is designing emergency repairs.
Shanley said the county will compare the recommendations in both sets of plans and decide whether the county should make emergency repairs or fast-track the replacement project.
If the bridge moves straight to replacement, Shanley said I-279 would have to be closed during demolition but much of the time it would remain open.
“We’re going to see if we can move this up [on the replacement schedule],” Shanley said. “If we can move that time up, that will help.”
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.