Pittsburgh bridge collapse – live: Biden visit going ahead as at least 10 rescued by human chain at Frick Park

Mayor Ed Gainey tweeted: “I just got off the phone with President Biden. Thank you @POTUS for your support as we address the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse. I look forward to seeing you soon.”

First responders formed a human chain to rescue people after a bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh.

The two-lane bridged collapsed before 7am on Friday, with emergency personnel rappelling down almost 150 feet (46 metres), while other first responders formed a “daisy chain” – holding on to each other as they pulled people up.

“Firefighters that were here initially on the scene … did like a daisy chain with hands just grabbing people and pulling them up. So it was a physical rescue,” Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones told reporters.

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman spoke with CNN while at the scene of the bridge collapse, saying he was “speechless” looking out over the aftermath of the incident which he described as “surreal”.

He added: “Thankfully the schools were on a two-hour delay for weather so the traffic was less than it would have been normally.”

Mr Fetterman, a Democrat, is also running for the Senate and tweeted out a campaign video from a previous run for that office in 2016 in which he noted there were “broken bridges around every corner”.

He added: “That’s why President Biden passing BIF in 2021 was so important. I don’t know how anyone can look at today’s disaster and think we can afford to wait on investing more in infrastructure.”

The US Transportation Department said on Friday it was opening a $1.5bn grant program for a wide range of infrastructure projects.

In November, the department awarded 90 projects in 47 states a total of $1bn.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the funds will “support more projects than ever, and help make our transportation system safer, more accessible, and more sustainable for people across the country.”

Under the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law by President Joe Biden, the Transportation Department will receive $660bn over five years, including $210.5bn to be awarded in competitive grants. Of that $71bn is for new grant programs.

Mr Biden has made rebuilding US infrastructure a key part of his domestic agenda.

The department will evaluate proposals on safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness, state of good repair, partnership and innovation, mobility and community connectivity.

Mr Buttigieg will be in Kansas on Friday to discuss the new grant program.

Environmental groups like the Sierra Club say the US must do more than just rebuild existing roads and bridges but must also reduce the number of single-passenger vehicles and dramatically improve public transit.

The grants awarded under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) last year went to rebuild roads and add rail lines — and to create new green space, trails, bike lanes and safer streets for pedestrians as well as dedicated bus lanes and dock replacements.

Seattle received $20m to reconstruct a 1.1-mile road segment and add a bike lane. Washington County, Oregon received $12.2m for a 15-mile trail.

Charlotte, North Carolina received $15m to construct a new multimodal transit center and New Orleans won $18.5m to improve transit fare collection.

Applications for the new grants are due by April, with awards to be announced by August.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald notes that while the city is fortunate no lives were lost, there is a lot of work ahead to restore a major artery in the city’s transportation network.

Mike Doyle, US member of Congress representing Pennsylvania’s 18th District, tweets: “The Forbes Avenue bridge collapse is a major challenge for our community. It will disrupt transportation in PGH for months at least. I’ve been in touch with the White House, @gainey_ed and @ACE_Fitzgerald to ask for help and facilitate coordination on rebuilding it.”

He adds: “This is a tragic example of why the #infrastructure bill Congress just enacted is needed. We should be constantly investing MORE in our infrastructure so our bridges and other public works don’t reach this point of disrepair.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is closely monitoring the situation at Frick Park.

He tweeted: “Closely monitoring the situation at Frick Park Bridge in Pittsburgh, and grateful for the first responders on scene. Our Department is in touch with @PennDOTNews and local authorities to offer our support. @USDOT stands ready to assist.”

Mayor of Pittsburgh Ed Gainey, who visited the scene earlier this morning, tweets: “Today a bridge collapsed near Forbes and S Braddock. I am thankful there are no reported fatalities or critical injuries at this time. Thank you @PghPublicSafety for the quick response and thank you to the county, state, and federal governments for the cooperation and assistance.”