Pittsburgh’s Hot Metal Bridge open after barge hit
Pittsburgh’s Hot Metal Bridge open after barge hit
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Hot Metal Bridge has reopened for the morning rush hour after it was deemed safe after one of its supports was hit by a barge.
The bridge spans the Monongahela River. The U.S. Coast Guard reported the barge strike about 11:45 p.m. Thursday, which prompted Pittsburgh police to close it until it could be inspected.
The bridge connects the city’s South Side with Hazelwood, a neighborhood just east of downtown.
The bridge got its name because it was originally built so rail cars could carry molten steel from one part of a Jones & Laughlin Steel plant to a rolling mill on the opposite side of the river. The mill is long gone, and the bridge has been converted for use by vehicles for more than a decade.