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Updated · BBC.com · Jul 16Pittsburgh Demolishes Commercial Street Bridge for 19-Foot-Per-Hour Replacement Slide
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 16Summary
- A controlled blast reduced Pittsburgh’s Commercial Street Bridge to rubble, clearing the way for a replacement span already built by PennDOT.
- The new bridge will be slid into place at 19 feet per hour in what authorities call Pennsylvania’s largest lateral slide project.
- The demolition followed a one-day postponement, with the bridge on I-376 torn down Thursday morning after the delay from Wednesday.
- I-376 will remain closed until August 3 as crews prepare for the slide-in and complete the bridge replacement.
Insights
Beyond its $95M cost, what is the true daily economic toll of the Parkway East shutdown on Pittsburgh? With a new bridge sliding into place, what are the critical risks in this high-stakes engineering feat? As a historic landmark turns to dust, is Pittsburgh sacrificing its past for a faster commute?