City officials gave an update June 24 on plans to re-construct the Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge, which has been closed since early 2023.
The bridge carries the Boulevard of the Allies over Junction Hollow into Schenley Park and is a key route into Oakland. It had been deemed structurally deficient as early as 2019 and was closed abruptly in February 2023 after an inspection found it was unsafe.
Plans for rehabilitating the bridge, which opened in 1940, were already in the works when it was closed. Initially, construction was set to begin in 2026, but the closing led the city to speed up the process.
Now construction is slated to begin this fall and continue into fall 2026, with a targeted reopening to traffic by Thanksgiving 2026.
The project will include repairing and strengthening the steel truss, repairing the concrete substructure and repainting.
The final bridge surface will include two lanes of vehicle traffic outbound and one inbound, a two-way bicycle track and widened sidewalks. Currently, the bridge has two vehicle lanes in each direction and sidewalks on each side.
The project also will include intersection upgrades at Dawson Street and a rebuilt overpass on the Schenley Park side.
— Susan Jones
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