The Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh became a symbol of the country’s troubled infrastructure, collapsing into a ravine earlier this year just before President Joe Biden visited the city.
President Joe Biden talks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden detoured to survey the scene, where vehicles were stranded on shards of roadway and several people were injured, and he pledged that help was on the way.
The Democratic president hopes to turn the bridge into a symbol of success for his administration when he returns to Pittsburgh on Thursday, less than three weeks before the midterm elections.
FILE – Traffic on Interstate 79 crosses the Ohio River on the Neville Island Bridge as it undergoes a refurbishing near Pittsburgh, April 2, 2021. The $1 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signs into law on Monday, Nov. 15, represents a historic achievement at a time of deeply fractured politics. But the compromises needed to bridge the political divide suggest that the spending might not be as transformative as Biden has promised for the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
A new span is being built, and it could be finished by December. The White House is crediting the bipartisan infrastructure law championed by Biden for the accelerated timeline.
President Joe Biden talks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The legislation is one of Biden’s most notable successes from the first two years of his term, and he repeatedly emphasizes its impact while traveling the country to roadways, airplane terminals and seaports. Out of roughly $1 trillion in spending, about $40 billion is dedicated to bridges.
President Joe Biden, escorted by Col. Matthew Jones, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, waves as he walks to board Air Force One, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is traveling to Pittsburgh to promote his infrastructure agenda, and then on to Philadelphia to attend a reception for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
John Fetterman, the Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, is expected to be on hand when Biden visits the bridge.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate John Fetterman takes the stage with his wife, Gisele, during a rally at Riverfront Sports in Scranton, Pa., on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. (Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP)
Afterward, Biden plans to stop in Philadelphia for a fundraiser with Fetterman, trying to replenish coffers that have been drained in one of the year’s most expensive races.
Fetterman is competing with Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Republican, for an open seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Toomey, also a Republican. If Fetterman wins, Democrats will have a much better shot at maintaining control of the Senate.
FILE – Dr. Mehmet Oz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, visits the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91 in West Homestead, Pa., Oct. 18, 2022. Fetterman is releasing a new doctor’s note saying that he’s recovering well from a May stroke as he vies for Pennsylvania’s pivotal U.S. Senate seat. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
President Joe Biden walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
His trip on Thursday will be his 14th to the state since taking office. A 15th trip has already been scheduled for next week, when he’s expected to return to Philadelphia for another political event.
