The irony of the situation was unbelievable: last Friday, the same day that President Joe Biden was set to deliver a speech about his new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Pittsburgh, the city experienced a miraculously non-fatal collapse of one of its most traveled bridges.

But for Pittsburgh and neighboring cities, the collapse does more than highlight the Infrastructure Law. It also brings an issue to the forefront that has been brushed aside time and time again — the importance of safe infrastructure to the region’s economy. As the Rust Belt has continued to rebuild after the loss of heavy industry, economic recovery has been the main focus, while infrastructure has often been overlooked. 

Yet without sufficient transportation support systems, the region will be less appealing when trying to attract investment from outside the region. 

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey echoed the importance of the law to our region. “The bipartisan infrastructure law is critical to southwest Pennsylvania and the city of Pittsburgh,” he said.

The need to finally update and refurbish aging American infrastructure has existed for decades. The collapse of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge, while terrible, has made the public realize only now that the issue can be suppressed no longer.

In the city with the most bridges in the world, the Fern Hollow Bridge didn’t stand out, yet it was one of Pittsburgh’s busiest spans, carrying up to 14,000 vehicles a day. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the bridge had been in “poor” condition since 2011. The collapse has also posed an important question: if not on the brink of failing, how many other bridges around the country are in urgent need of repair?

It turns out that Pennsylvania is the state with the second-most bridges that are listed in “poor” condition by the Federal Highway Association, with 3,200 out of the 43,000 total bridges in need of repair across the US. The average age of an American bridge is 44 years, yet as most are built with a guaranteed lifespan of 50 years, the number of bridges in need of repair is increasing at a quicker rate every year.

Bridges do more than simply support transportation. They are the backbone of the supply chain, the links that hold together commerce. Bridges have always been important to Pittsburgh and other cities in the region, but they will only become more important in the future, as without sufficient transportation infrastructure, the region’s economy will be unable to continue growing. 

Although the Rust Belt may sometimes seem like a wasteland to outsiders thanks to events like the collapse, insufficient infrastructure has not stopped the region’s economic recovery. Even with modest population growth, the average wage in Pittsburgh rose by 25% from 2008 to 2018, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Clearly, the economy is on the upswing, but upgrades to infrastructure are necessary to continue this trend.

President Biden visited the site of the collapsed bridge before beginning his speech on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at Mill 19, a new development using several old structures from the former Eliza Steel Works. It is significant that the speech occurred at a historic, revitalized mill, as improved infrastructure is the first step to more success stories in economic development like Mill 19.

The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Law passed in November includes the largest investment in American bridges since the passage of the Interstate Highway Act. As part of the Bridge Formula Program, Pennsylvania will receive $1.6 billion to improve its bridges of the $26.5 billion total allotted by the law.