O’Connor, Gainey Introduces Municipal Infrastructure Commission Formation Law – CBS Pittsburgh

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Mayor Ed Gainey and City Councilman Corey O’Connor are calling for the creation of a task force to identify local infrastructure that needs the most attention and repair.

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Gainey and O’Connor enacted legislation today to create the Infrastructure Property Investment and Reporting Commission.

This new committee will have 15 members including city officials, organized labor representatives, representatives of the construction industry and city dwellers with experience in building and/or maintaining infrastructure. .

“Unpolitical. It’s the experts giving us their opinion – the structural engineers giving us their opinion – on what we need to prioritize,” said O’Connor.

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The move comes after a KDKA investigation found a lack of action on the Fern Hollow Bridge at Frick Park, which inspectors had assessed to be in poor condition over the past 10 years.

O’Connor wants more transparency for bridges. He said he wants all the bridges in Allegheny County on an online dashboard to show their condition and when they are scheduled for repair.

Additionally, within the new law is an ordinance that generates regular reports on the condition of all major City-maintained infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels.

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The commission establishing law is expected to be considered at the City Council meeting on February 9.