Highway Officials Eye Truck Impact As Possible Cause of Collapse
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation inspectors are evaluating scrapes on the underside of a highway overpass that partially collapsed Tuesday night outside Pittsburgh, dropping an 80-ton section onto Interstate 70 and injuring three motorists. The scrapes may be evidence that trucks contacting the underside of the aging bridge contributed to the failure.
The bridge section, consisting mostly of concrete guardrail and part of the deck, weighed about 80 tons, says PennDOT District 12 Spokesman Jeff Ofsanik.