Your Daily Guide

Why Did Fern Hollow Collapse?

The bridge suffered “sweeping and avoidable failures by the City of Pittsburgh, PennDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration,” according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board. Engineers made repair recommendations for 15 years leading up to the 2022 collapse, which they say might’ve addressed extensive corrosion, clogged drains, and thinning structural elements on all four legs. It “should have never been open to traffic,” the board’s chairperson says. [TribLIVE]

City Delays Tiny Houses for Homeless

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the city’s planning commission recommended an eight week delay on a proposal to create temporary tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness. Council members say they need more time to craft legislation that would amend the city’s zoning code to make the project possible. The proposal also includes a community space for showers, toilets, and food. [PublicSource]

• 🏠 What else is in the proposal? [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

A Win for More Accessible Child Care

Council also voted on a proposal to make it easier to operate child care centers by removing some zoning and off-street parking requirements. According to the legislation, nearly 38,000 children are on waiting lists for child care across Pennsylvania. [TribLIVE]

City Opens New ‘Public Safety Center’

Police moved into a new, 8,500-square-foot space on Wood Street Wednesday, which the bureau says will be “more conducive to community meetings and will act as a command post for large Downtown events.” [KDKA-TV]

Pittsburgh is looking forward to its 12th year of hatchlings at Hays Woods. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania confirms the first bald eagle egg of 2024 is nesting above the Monongahela River. See it for yourself with the 24/7 live cam.

What’s new this year? The mate! The previous male, who had been paired with the female since at least 2013, disappeared in September. Bald eagles live about 20 years in the wild, so according to Rachel Handel from the Audubon Society, it’s not surprising to lose one. Since 2013, 20 eaglets have fledged this nest.

This new pairing will take turns incubating at the nest perched above the sprawling green space of Hays Woods Park between the neighborhoods of Baldwin, South Side, and Hays. The area has been used for nature exploration and recreation for years but officially became a city park in 2023.

In a past life, the 626-acres along the Monongahela River served as a coal mining site. Today, its woodlands, wetlands, streams, and meadows make up the city’s second largest park (right after Frick) and provide critical support for the local ecosystem — like the majestic bald eagle.