Biden talks infrastructure in PA after bridge collapse
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) — President Joe Biden headed to a collapsed bridge during a Friday trip to Pittsburgh, surveying the damage on a trip previously scheduled to promote an infrastructure package he signed aiming to prevent such potentially disastrous accidents.
Biden spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey about the early morning bridge collapse before taking off for Pennsylvania and offered federal support for the cleanup efforts, White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters en route to Pittsburgh.
"Our team remains in touch with state and local officials on the ground on updates and any additional assistance we can provide," she said.
The bridge collapse — which caused no fatalities but prompted rescuers to form a human chain to retrieve people from a precariously perched bus — offered Biden a striking example of what he has declared an urgent need for investments in the country's infrastructure.
The steel span was built in 1970, and a 2019 inspection revealed the deck and superstructure to be in poor condition, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Bridge Inventory.
The infrastructure law signed by Biden has earmarked about $1.6 billion for Pennsylvania bridge maintenance, with tens of billions more for public transit, highway maintenance and broadband internet expansion in the state.
Friday's trip was an opening step in a broader campaign to promote White House achievements in key states before the midterm elections. It brought Biden, a Pennsylvania native, home to one of the top-targeted states this cycle. The Pennsylvania battle to replace Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who is not seeking reelection, is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races this year.
But two...