Pittsburgh’s Panther Hollow Bridge to reopen after nearly two years
PITTSBURGH —
The Panther Hollow Bridge will reopen to traffic Friday at 7 a.m., reconnecting Pittsburgh neighborhoods like Greenfield and Squirrel Hill after nearly two years of closure.
“This is a gateway into the East End, into Greenfield, into Squirrel Hill,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony surrounded by construction workers and engineers on Thursday.
The bridge, which stretches through part of Schenley Park, has been closed to vehicle traffic since October 2024.
Sophia Mancinelli, a University of Pittsburgh student, said, “I think it’s really important that they’re restoring a piece of history instead of just tearing it down.”
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Zack Workman, acting chief engineer for the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, emphasized the importance of preserving the bridge’s historical significance during the repair process.
“Thankfully, Pittsburgh’s heritage for ingenuity means that today we’re fortunate to have in this region some of the most talented engineers and industry. They’re able to adapt 19th-century technology to 21st-century methods for analysis and construction,” Workman said.
Joe McGranaghan, a local father, says the reopening of the bridge will make his trips to his son’s appointments easier.
“We come through the park often to get to Squirrel Hill to get Milo to The Children’s Institute. So we’ve had to go mostly Forbes [Avenue], and then there’s a lot of traffic there, so it tends to add time to the commute,” McGranaghan said.
While the sidewalk and bike paths remained open during much of the project, Emma Flynn shared a reminder for drivers as they return to the area.
“I hope that it’s not too crazy and that people remember to kind of stay calm. It is technically a park that they’re driving through. So this building, it’s only 35, so hopefully it’s not too crazy,” Flynn said.
O’Connor also discussed the need for changes at the state level to streamline repair projects.
“We are still in an old-school mentality of ‘one at a time.’ If we could bundle those into one existing, whether it’s an engineering or construction contract, you can hopefully start doing multiple of these at once,” he said.
Another major repair project nearby, the Charles Anderson Bridge, is expected to be completed by summer 2028, O’Connor said.
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