The old Commercial Street Bridge on Parkway East came down Thursday morning after PennDOT set off explosives just after 8 a.m., ending a delay that had pushed the demolition back from Wednesday evening. The controlled blast was livestreamed on PennDOT’s website as the bridge collapsed into the valley below Parkway East.
For TribLive reporter Julia Burdelski, the scene was defined as much by the wait as by the blast. Nearly 200 people had gathered Wednesday evening at the Summerset at Frick Park residential development to watch the demolition, then were told it would not happen that night. By Thursday, the old bridge was gone, and the closure that began last Friday remained in place as drivers waited for Parkway East to reopen on Aug. 3.
The demolition is part of the work to replace the aging bridge that carries Parkway East over Commercial Street near Pittsburgh’s Frick Park. PennDOT used hundreds of explosive charges, and the bridge’s millions of pounds of concrete and steel dropped away in seconds, clearing the way for the next phase of the project.
That next phase reaches well beyond the roadway. PennDOT’s contractors plan to plant 9,250 trees and shrubs after the project, with over a dozen native species including white fir, elderberry and American holly. The former vegetation had been struggling with vines and invasive species, and the city’s Forestry Division is creating a trail through the reforested area that connects with Frick Park’s existing trail system.
For now, traffic restrictions remain in place, and PennDOT is still urging motorists to use posted detours or public transit whenever possible. The bridge is down, but the work around it is not finished, and the reopening date is still more than a week away.
