Engineering

​We determine​d that the probable cause of the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the failure of the transverse tie plate on the southwest leg of the bridge, a fracture-critical member (nonredundant steel tension member), due to corrosion and section loss resulting from the City of Pittsburgh’s failure to act on repeated maintenance and repair recommendations from inspection reports. Contributing to the collapse were the poor quality of inspections, the incomplete identification of the bridge’s fracture-critical members (nonredundant steel tension members), and the incorrect load rating calculations for the bridge. Also contributing to the collapse was insufficient oversight by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation of the City of Pittsburgh’s bridge inspection program.

The full NTSB summary is here, along with links to more pictures and their full board meeting summary: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/HWY22MH003.aspx