Gus Faucher, keynote speaker at the annual State of the Pittsburgh Economy conference, apologized “for saying last year that a recession was on the way.” Following his tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment, Faucher, PNC chief economist, said he believes the nation will avert a downturn in 2024 as well.

No one assembled at the James Rohr Auditorium at PNC’s corporate headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh Wednesday morning was disappointed.

Faucher mostly delivered an upbeat forecast for the U.S. this year and for Pittsburgh, although some prepandemic issues remain unresolved here.

The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE:PNC) again partnered to examine economic indicators impacting businesses in the region, as well as national and regional conditions.

IEE, part of Pitt’s Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, provides consulting, education and networking opportunities to businesses throughout western Pennsylvania.

Robert Stein, IEE executive director, said the 2024 conference was the ninth such event with PNC and that the relationship between IEE and the bank spans “30 years and counting.” Stein, who is also associate vice chancellor, innovation and entrepreneurship at Pitt, served as master of ceremonies and introduced the speakers.

The lineup also included:

• Lou Cestello, PNC regional president for Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania
• Jen Gilburg, DCED deputy secretary, technology and entrepreneurship
• Sara Innamorato, Allegheny County executive
• Ed Gainey, mayor of Pittsburgh
• Rich Fitzgerald, executive director, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
• Stefani Pashman, CEO, Allegheny Conference on Community Development
• Christina Cassotis, CEO, Allegheny County Airport Authority

Common themes threaded through the presentations included: support from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, the importance of diversity and of partnerships, restoring/reinventing downtown Pittsburgh, increasing the workforce and making sure to capitalize on federal funding opportunities.

“We need Pittsburgh to be a great place and you can’t have a great town without great entrepreneurs and small businesses,” said Cestello, who also chairs Pitt’s board of trustees.

Innamorato brought up the difficulties companies still have finding employees, pointing out that there are two job openings for every job seeker.

“We have to double down on quality-of-life issues,” she said, listing transit, child care, investing in young people and homegrown talent.

Gilburg said the commonwealth has its first economic development plan in 20 years and cited key accomplishments since Shapiro took office in January 2023 to make Pennsylvania more competitive. The time frame for permits, for example, has been reduced from eight weeks to three days “and we’re trying to get it down to within a day,” she said.

Gainey said that even though things are improving, “we’re not there yet. We have to stay intentional.”

Working together is crucial, whether in revitalizing downtown, convincing young people to stay in the region or attracting outside talent.

“If we can diversify portfolios, we can diversify downtown,” Gainey said. “People have got to see their culture in the city.”

If not, he cautioned, “we will not grow up. We’ll grow old but we won’t grow.”

Fitzgerald, who was succeeded by Innamorato as county executive in January, has taken on a new role with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. He said county commissioners are eager to work together, citing strong attendance at a recent gathering in the Strip District.

“Government and economic development are really team sports,” Fitzgerald said.

Pashman noted that despite all the region’s assets, it’s not seeing results. She singled out an issue the conference is “laser-focused” on — reinventing downtown Pittsburgh — and said it expects to submit a plan to the state by the end of the quarter.

“As downtown goes, so goes the broader region,” she said.

Cassotis talked about the ways the new airport terminal is a means to create employment for Pittsburgh companies and a sense of community, and how the airport is using local business and academic partnerships to attract more airlines around the world to service the region. It will host the second Aviation & Robotics Summit in May, further shining the spotlight on southwestern Pennsylvania.

Faucher’s optimism for the national economy is spurred by multiple factors. Interest rates appear to have peaked, consumers are in good shape, the stock market is strong and employment has not only fully recovered from the pandemic but it is higher — so is economic activity — than prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.

He referenced PNC’s spring 2024 survey of owners/leaders of small and midsize companies, which was released early on Wednesday. Among the findings was record high optimism by the business owners about their own companies during the next six months.

“Small businesses are telling us something,” Faucher said.

Growth won’t be as strong in 2024 as in 2023, “but no recession,” he said. PNC expects the Federal Open Market Committee will start to cut the federal funds rate in the second quarter which will support growth in 2025.

But Pittsburgh “continues to fall behind,” he said, particularly due to its workforce issues which Faucher brought up at previous conferences well before 2020. Employment Is still down 2% from prepandemic levels and the region lags both Pennsylvania and the U.S. There are about 40,000 fewer people available for work and he expects it will remain an issue for several years ahead.

View the full article at bizjournals.com.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) board this week elected Armstrong County Commissioner Pat Fabian to serve as Chair, Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites to serve as Vice-Chair, and Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure to serve as Secretary-Treasurer. Commissioners Fabian, Vicites, and McClure were elected by their fellow board members to these positions, and will serve a two-year term.

The board’s new officers will shape the commission’s work for the next several years and intend to focus on workforce and economic development, transportation planning, and other initiatives like investments in broadband, water resources, attracting business investments, and expanding pedestrian and bicycle trails throughout the region.

“Together, Commissioners Fabian, Vicites, and McClure make a dynamic team, and we are fortunate to have their leadership,” Executive Director of the SPC Rich Fitzgerald said.

“Our organization functions as a consensus builder and we work in a collaborative manner in order to support the needs of the entire region. We bring entities from the public and private sectors together to discuss wide-ranging issues that impact our 10 counties. By having Armstrong, Fayette, and Greene counties at the helm of our Board, I know that the Commissioners will elevate the priorities of all of our urban, suburban, and rural communities.”

Commissioner Fabian has served as County Commissioner since 2016. During his time as Commissioner, he has increased the County’s operating reserve fund from $600,000 to $8 million and led efforts to significantly change the County’s pension funds from $60 million to $85 million. Additionally, he has worked diligently to reduce the County’s debt by 20 percent since he was first elected. Prior to serving as County Commissioner, Fabian was a Supervisor in Manor Township. Before entering public serve, he spent more than 15 years as an outpatient and family therapist at the Family Counseling Center of Armstrong County where he was responsible for providing counseling to patients and creating individualized treatment plans. He has his Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Gannon University and his Master’s degree in Community Counseling from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

“I cannot wait to hit the ground running and serve the Board in this leadership role,” Chair of the SPC Pat Fabian said. “The entire region is well-positioned to work collectively as a team with one voice on major issues like job creation and broadband connectivity. While our approach to challenges may, at times, be different, we all have one goal—and that is to improve the overall quality of life for Southwestern Pennsylvania’s residents. We are able to advocate better for them when we all work together.”

Commissioner Vicites has served as Fayette County Commissioner two separate times. The Commissioner first served County residents from 1996 to 2011 and then again from 2016 till the present day. He was born and raised in Uniontown and has worked in county government for over 30 years. Prior to serving as County Commissioner, Vicites was the Fayette County Recycling Coordinator and started the Hard to Recycle Events at the County’s Fairgrounds, which has continued for over 30 years.

As County Commissioner, he has been instrumental in creating and retaining over 10,000 jobs and securing over $200 million in economic and infrastructure projects for Fayette County residents. He graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Human Resources from St. Francis University.

“I am excited to work with my fellow officers and board members on initiatives that will benefit Fayette County residents and the entire region,” Vice-Chair of the SPC Vince Vicites said. “We’ve made a lot of tangible progress in recent years on issues like economic investments and the expansion of trails, but there is still more work to do and we are ready for it.”

Commissioner McClure has served as Greene County Commissioner since 2020. She has been a lifelong resident of Greene County and prior to serving as County Commissioner, McClure was a registered nurse for over 25 years. As Commissioner, McClure has been focused on making the county a better place to live and work.

She is deeply committed to attracting businesses and industry development that strengthens the economic livelihood of Greene County, while ensuring that residents are still able to maintain the advantages of living in a rural community. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and her Master’s degree in Education from California University of Pennsylvania.

“I am looking forward to serving in this new role, and advocating for the needs of our residents,” Secretary-Treasurer of the SPC Betsy McClure said.

“Whether it is workforce development, increased access to transportation options, or outdoor recreational sites that spur local economies, our entire region is on the precipice of exciting growth.”

SPC employs 50 individuals that work on behalf the 10 county region in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As the federally designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO), local development district (LDD), and economic development district (EDA), the organization works to keep the region connected and moving forward. As part of this work, SPC helps counties, cities, municipalities and townships access approximately $39 billion in state and federal transportation and economic development funding that has been allocated to the region through 2045.

View the full article at: leadertimes.com.

Fayette County Commissioner Vice Chairman Vincent A. Vicites was elected vice chairman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission for a two-year term.

With more than 60 members, including an executive committee, the SPC is a forum for regional collaboration, planning and public decision-making; focused on transportation, development, information systems and more.

Vicites has been part of the SPC for more than 17 years, and a member of its executive committee for more than a decade. He most recently served as secretary/treasurer of SPC from 2022 until becoming vice chairman this week.

“It’s a great honor to be selected by my fellow county commissioners in the 10-county region and the City of Pittsburgh to continue to serve in the leadership of a metropolitan planning organization,” Vicites said. “We’ve accomplished many projects and reached major milestones in my time with SPC, and I look forward to continuing that momentum.”

During his tenure, Vicites has worked to secure funding for a number of local projects, including $60 million for the new Masontown Bridge Construction in 2010, with discretionary money from the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation.

“I was also able to convince my commissioner colleagues to advance the Mon-Fayette Expressway project to completion in Pittsburgh, after it had been tabled at a prior SPC meeting in 2017,” Vicites said. “That project is paramount to continued success in not only Fayette County, but the entire region.”

The commission operates with public involvement and trust to develop plans and programs for public investments; and fulfill federal and state requirements for transportation, economic development and local government assistance programs.

As the region’s official metropolitan planning organization, SPC directs the use of state and federal transportation and economic development funds allocated to the region – about $35 billion through 2045. In addition to Fayette County, the commission includes the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Green, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Vicites said he hopes his second-in-command office will allow him to better position Fayette County for growth and opportunities.

“I’m most looking forward to continuing my work on our ongoing transportation and infrastructure projects,” Vicites said. “In this role, I can ensure Fayette County gets its fair share of the funding, in order to maximize our local development.”

To learn more about the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, visit www.spcregion.org.

View the full article at dailycourier.com.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission board elected Armstrong County Commissioner Pat Fabian to chair that panel for the next two years.

Fabian was chosen along with Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites, who will be vice-chair of that board, and Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure, who was chosen as secretary-treasurer.

A spokeswoman for the commission said the new officers will shape SPC’s work for the next several years and intend to focus on workforce and economic development, transportation planning, and other initiatives like investments in broadband, water resources, attracting business investments, and expanding pedestrian and bicycle trails throughout the region.

Fabian, who has a master’s degree in community counseling from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, spent more than 15 years as an outpatient and family therapist at the Family Counseling Center of Armstrong County before being elected as a county commissioner for the first time in 2016.

“I cannot wait to hit the ground running and serve the board in this leadership role,” Fabian said. “The entire region is well-positioned to work collectively as a team with one voice on major issues like job creation and broadband connectivity. While our approach to challenges may, at times, be different, we all have one goal — and that is to improve the overall quality of life for southwestern Pennsylvania’s residents.”

Fabian serves on the executive committee of the SPC board, as does Indiana County Commissioner Robin A. Gorman.

Both, in turn, are board members, with Indiana County also represented on that board by Commissioners R. Michael Keith and Sherene Hess, Indiana County Office of Planning & Development Executive Director Byron G. Stauffer Jr. and Indiana County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Hilliard.

SPC covers the city of Pittsburgh as well as Indiana, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence and Washington counties.

“Together, commissioners Fabian, Vicites and McClure make a dynamic team, and we are fortunate to have their leadership,” said Rich Fitzgerald, a former Allegheny County executive recently named SPC’s executive director. “Our organization functions as a consensus builder and we work in a collaborative manner in order to support the needs of the entire region. We bring entities from the public and private sectors together to discuss wide-ranging issues that impact our 10 counties.”

SPC employs 50 individuals, working for the federally designated metropolitan planning organization, local development district, and economic development district for the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania.

View the full article at indianagazette.com.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is awarding Butler $1,545,356 in grant funding to support sidewalk and pedestrian safety improvements along downtown Main Street. This project will make improvements to sidewalks and crosswalks, and increase accessibility for both local students and residents.

“The City of Butler is a vital part of our county’s economy and Main Street is frequented by all county residents,” said Leslie Osche, chairwoman of the Butler County Commissioners. “This funding will ensure that our sidewalks are safe for not only county residents and visitors, but our local students who use it as a way to get to and from their schools downtown. This project helps to ensure that their safety remains at the forefront of ongoing revitalization efforts.”

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission recently completed the selection process for its discretionary competitive grant program, which selects certain projects in the region to receive federal funding. The organization has a selection committee that reviews grant applications submitted from counties and municipalities within its coverage area.

“The city is vibrant and we have so much to look forward to,” said Mayor Bob Dandoy. “We are very fortunate to work closely with our county commissioners, and Joe Saeler from the Butler County Community Development Corporation.”

Dandoy said Saeler played an instrumental throughout the grant application process.

“When we all work together towards a common goal, our students, residents, and business community will reap the benefits,” Dandoy said.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission receives funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation that it can award to improvement projects which in three areas: Congestion Mitigation Air Quality program, Carbon Reduction program and the Transportation Alternatives Set Aside program.

“Awarding this grant to the city of Butler so that it can increase pedestrian safety for its local residents and students is one of the ways that the (Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission) works to make that happen,” said Rich Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. “Students need to be kept safe on their way to and from school and when we are able to play a role in ensuring that happens — we are living up to our commitment to serve and support our region.”

View the full article at butlereagle.com.

The City of Butler will receive a grant to make additional improvements along Main Street.

Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy informed Council about recent notification from the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission concerning the awarding of a $1.5 million grant.

Dandoy credited assistance from Butler County as well as the Community Development Corporation. This money does not require any local matching funds and would be used for sidewalk repair and pedestrian safety improvements.

This project will next move into the design and drawing approval phase before being put out to bid at some point later this year.

View the full article at butlerradio.com.

The numbers that Pittsburgh consultant WSP Inc. has put together estimating the funds the city needs to care for its 146 bridges are stark: $471.6 million over the next 32 years.

That includes $135.4 million for nine bridges that need immediate work, $276.3 million for 98 bridges that need extensive work by 2039, and $59.4 million for long-range projects that should be completed before 2056. Additionally, the city should start spending at least $9.65 million a year on routine bridge maintenance to reduce deterioration, the consultant said.

The good news is that the routine maintenance money is budgeted for the first time this year and the city has shown renewed participation in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, which serves as the clearinghouse for federal funding to support the city’s immediate needs and prepare for future projects.

The city hired WSP shortly after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed in January 2022 to give new Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration a full rundown of the city’s bridge needs. Fern Hollow had been rated in poor condition for more than 10 years before the collapse, but the city had done little to obtain funding to fix it.

The consultant has prepared five reports for the city over the past two years, including assessing immediate needs and recommending an in-house bridge division, which didn’t exist before. The Union Progress obtained the most recent reports on the city’s overall bridge needs and yearly maintenance requirements through a Right to Know request.

Eric Setzler, the city’s chief engineer, said the numbers are huge, but they aren’t a surprise. The city has been “very aggressive” in working with SPC and the state Department of Transportation to move immediate and major projects forward, he said, and nine projects have been recommended for inclusion in the June’s Transit Improvement Program, which SPC updates every two years.

“I think it’s fair to say we’re more involved in that process,” Setzler said. “SPC and PennDOT have been great partners in moving these projects forward.

“That way of taking a project from early design to construction is a multi-year process. We have a lot of projects in the very early stages right now.”

The most immediate project is the Charles Anderson Bridge that carries the Boulevard of the Allies from Oakland into Schenley Park and has been closed since last March. After a special appeal from Gainey, the city worked with SPC to cancel emergency repairs and move a full rehabilitation project into the funding stream earlier than expected.

Final design won’t be done for six months, the bids on the work are due before the end of the month and construction should start before the end of the year.

Setzler noted that at the recommendation of PennDOT the city added the replacement of another small bridge known as Panther Hollow Overpass to the project. The bridge also has problems and it makes sense to upgrade it at the same time rather than interrupt traffic again in a few years, he said.

Both projects could cost as much as $50 million total.

The Swindell Bridge, which crosses above Interstate 279 to link Pittsburgh’s Perry South and Northview Heights neighborhoods and has been closed twice in the past year for emergency repairs, has been under design since last summer. It is scheduled for a $13.7 million rehabilitation that will include rehabilitation of the truss, cleaning, painting and replacement of the deck.

The other seven projects proposed for the new TIP in priority order are:

Davis Avenue Bridge over Woods Run, $3.75 million replacement; Swinburne Bridge over Saline Street in lower Oakland, $26.1 million replacement; 28th Street Bridge over the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway in Polish Hill, $10 million rehabilitation; parking lot bridge over Saw Mill Run Boulevard at Woodruff Street, $1.5 million demolition; West Carson Street bridge over Chartiers Creek, $7.9 million replacement; Bloomfield Bridge, $36.5 million preservation.

Overall, WSP cited 37 bridges in need of high priority work, but some of them were recommended for work after 2026.

Setzler said the city is taking steps to move along other proposed projects by engaging consultants to design small groups of bridges. For example, one consultant will do the Maple Avenue Bridge over North Charles Street on the North Side and the Corley Street and Calera Street bridges over Streets Run on the South Side while another is doing the Elizabeth Street Bridge in Hazelwood and the Herron Avenue Bridge in the Strip District.

Design should begin in a couple of months with construction expected in about three years.

The maintenance recommendations also are key, Setzler said. Before Fern Hollow collapsed, the city had spent about $700,000 annually on routine bridge maintenance, far below WSP’s recommendation of $9.65 million.

This year, Setzler said, the city has budgeted just over $9 million for maintenance, such as cleaning drains, spot painting and other improvements that can extend the life of bridges. With a $900,000 carryover from the previous year, he said, the city should be able to do the recommended work.

Additionally, the city is expanding its in-house bridge maintenance crew, so it should be able to do some of that work at a lower cost with its own employees in future years, he said.

Inspection reports from Fern Hollow criticized the city for ignoring repeated recommendations for routine work like cleaning drains, which led to serious deterioration of steel components.

“These kinds of maintenance projects will slow down the deterioration process and prevent problems before they become bigger issues over the years,” Setzler said.

View the full article at unionprogerss.com.

The National Transportation Safety Board won’t officially determine until Wednesday why the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed two years ago, but state, local and federal officials already have made a series of changes about how bridges are inspected and maintained.

Those include the state updating inspection procedures to better flag bridges with evidence of continuing deterioration, Pittsburgh expanding its division that oversees bridge maintenance and hiring a consultant to recommend maintenance schedules and prioritize work on the city’s 147 bridges, and adding federal recommendations about how states care for bridges made with uncoated weathering steel such as the old Fern Hollow structure.

The changes are all interim steps agencies and officials have taken after Fern Hollow — it had been continuously rated in poor condition for more than 10 years — collapsed from Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill into Frick Park underneath it about 6:40 a.m. Jan. 26, 2022. Nine people were injured when six vehicles, including a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus, fell into the ravine.

The NTSB will release its findings Wednesday, but in many cases, officials didn’t need to wait for the final cause to know changes should be made.

Nearly 6,000 pages of investigation documents released by the NTSB last month include inspection reports on the bridge over more than 15 years, transcripts of interviews with front-line bridge inspectors and contractors, reports from state and local officials charged with monitoring the condition of bridges across the state, and technical reports from experts who examined the ruins.

NTSB investigators collected the information as part of their effort to reach a definitive conclusion on why Fern Hollow collapsed.

The documents also outline procedural changes agencies have made as a result of shortcomings identified during the two-year investigation.

“I’d say [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation] has done a really good job of taking the lessons from the collapse and the federal government, too,” said Roberto Leon, a construction engineering professor at Virginia Tech University who has followed the bridge investigation.

“The speed with which these changes have occurred testifies to the importance of this failure. Turning around a big ship only happens when you have a big problem.”

At the state level, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued a “technical bulletin” on Nov. 22, 2022, to the agency’s 11 maintenance districts. That 31-page document outlines a series of changes in how inspectors should review more than 26,000 bridges and how state officials should handle those completed inspections.

Michael C. Kaiser, acting deputy secretary for highway administration at the time but now retired, wrote that the bulletin was developed after the Fern Hollow collapse following an “in-depth review” of its procedures. Although the bridge is owned by the city of Pittsburgh and inspections are frequently done by private engineering firms, PennDOT reviews those inspections and files them with the Federal Highway Administration.

As a result of the review, the agency made a series of procedural changes designed to collect and report the best information about the condition of bridges, and then present it in inspection reports so that state oversight engineers who review them can easily determine whether additional action should be taken. With Fern Hollow, field inspectors had identified deteriorating conditions over more than 10 years, but they never changed the condition rating or called for a review of the 26-ton load limit on the bridge.

Those deteriorating conditions included holes in support legs growing from about 2 inches by 2 inches to about 12 inches by 12 inches, among other problems.

PennDOT reviewers, who could have asked questions or called for more work based on what was in the reports, instead routinely approved them. In an August 2022 interview with NTSB investigators, Rich Runyan, assistant chief bridge engineer, said he considered it unusual that the department didn’t question inspectors.

“It is surprising to see, you know, comments, sketches, a number of things in the report pointing to increased — and noting increased deterioration — and yet that never crossed over to the load rating, is very surprising,” Runyan, who is now the department’s chief engineer, told investigators.

“… To go several inspections and note the increased loss and that not result in a new load rating is one of the head scratchers, in my opinion, of this whole thing. That never — nobody in that chain of, you know, whether it be our reviewers or the city, or even, you know, the inspectors didn’t see that as enough to populate new numbers and possibly lower the [weight limit] posting.”

As a result of the Fern Hollow incident, the department changed a series of inspection policies immediately with the technical bulletin.

Those changes include conducting a load review every 10 years even if conditions haven’t changed appreciably; requiring photos, detailed sketches and precise measurements showing areas that have deteriorated, including measuring the thickness of the remaining metal; and brushing away rusted areas to show the actual condition of the remaining metal.

“Such cleaning and documentation of section losses is essential in determining the load carrying capacity of bridges, tunnels and other structures and to the decision-making process for maintenance recommendations to maintain safety of highway systems within the Commonwealth,” the bulletin said.

In addition, inspection reports — they can run hundreds of pages — now must have a summary sheet on the front identifying changes from the previous report so that oversight engineers can quickly identify whether a bridge might need additional attention.

The new requirements will be part of a new Best Practices Load Rating Manual that is under development.

Kent Harries, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, said more thorough inspection reports are only valuable if agencies have the resources to follow their recommendations.

“Certainly, more detail is better detail, but what good is it if the resources aren’t there to do the work?” he said. “This is the issue. [The U.S.] left things go for a long time. You have to prioritize bridges to take care of the worst ones first.”

The Fern Hollow incident was a rude welcoming for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration, occurring less than a month after he took the oath of office.

The early morning collapse focused a spotlight on serious problems with a series of major bridges among 147 the city owns. For years, the city had done minimal work on many of its bridges, to the point where last February it closed the Charles Anderson Bridge that carries the Boulevard of the Allies into Schenley Park until it can be rehabilitated.

Almost immediately after Fern Hollow, the city hired engineering consultant WSP Inc. to evaluate all of its bridges, determine what work was needed and prioritize which projects should be done first. The consultant also looked at routine maintenance needs for the bridges because recommendations for routine items at Fern Hollow such as cleaning drains and repairing holes never were performed.

Last March, the consultant identified 66 bridges that needed high-priority repairs over the next two years at an estimated cost of $11.7 million.

For major rehabilitation work such as Charles Anderson, the city also has started working more closely with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. That agency reviews road and bridge projects for a 10-county area to set priorities for federal funding, but the city hadn’t pushed the agency for help for more than a decade.

That renewed relationship led to SPC working with the city to fast-track the estimated $48 million Charles Anderson rehabilitation, which hadn’t been scheduled for major work yet despite being rated in poor condition since 2012.

The city also has beefed up the staff for its bridge division in the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. In 2023, the city hired three engineers, including a chief engineer for bridges and structures, a bridge maintenance supervisor and a project manager.

This year’s budget calls for adding a bridge maintenance foreman and three bridge maintenance workers.

The Fern Hollow Bridge that collapsed was built with uncoated, weatherizing steel, which will form its own protective layer known as patina if it goes through wet and dry periods. Investigators learned early on that despite repeated inspection recommendations to clear drains to allow the bridge to dry, the city left the drains clogged, and the protective layer never formed, leading to deterioration that contributed to the collapse.

Investigators reviewed reports on 10 other uncoated bridges in Pennsylvania and found that problem wasn’t unique to Fern Hollow.

As a result, in May 2023, the NTSB issued an interim report on Fern Hollow that recommended owners of about 10,000 bridges that used weatherizing steel across the country pay special attention to proper drainage. It called on the Federal Highway Administration to develop proper procedures for state departments of transportation to provide the best care for those bridges.

The FHWA’s Joseph L. Hartman, director of the office of bridges and structures, issued those recommendations in July.

“FHWA continues to work closely with the NTSB to support its investigation of the January 2022 Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in Pittsburgh and will work expeditiously to address any recommendations NTSB issues to ensure the safety for all our nation’s bridges,” the agency said in a statement last week.

View the full article at unionprogress.com.

This year’s class of 30 Under 30 honorees has been selected.

30 Under 30, which the Business Times presents in partnership with Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., honors young professionals who are exhibiting strong leadership and making a difference in their organizations and communities early on in their careers.

This year’s class of honorees will be honored in a special edition of the Pittsburgh Business Times on April 19. Check back for more details about each of the honorees, which will be released in the weeks to come.

This year’s honorees are:

[…]

Lillian Gabreski, manager of sponsored programs development, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

[…]

View the full article at bizjournals.com.

The Pittsburgh Power 100, a listing of the region’s most influential business leaders, is being presented by categories this year. Here are Catalysts.

They stand at the intersection of research, job training and economic development. Their schools and organizations lure investment and partnerships. They are helping to build the workforce of the future and the leaders of tomorrow.

Jenn Beer

President and CEO, Leadership Pittsburgh Inc.

Jenn Beer has led Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., the region’s foremost leadership development and networking organization, since June 2022. Leadership Pittsburgh offers three different cohort-based annual leadership training programs and has served the region for over three decades — its alumni network is made up of over 3,000 influential leaders, with LPI also providing a board matching service to help alumni land board service positions with local nonprofits. Prior to joining LPI, Beer spent 15 years with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, most recently as vice president for government affairs, doing work that contributed to the 2022 announcement that the state of Pennsylvania would be gradually lowering its corporate net income tax, making Pennsylvania more attractive for potential business investments. In addition to her role at LPI, Beer serves on the boards of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Local Government Academy, Latino Community Center and Trying Together.

[…]

View the full article at bizjournals.com.