On today’s episode of The Confluence: An investigation by the Post-Gazette looks at why bridges in poor condition aren’t getting funds for repairs and upkeep at the same rate as bridges in better condition; the Three Rivers Arts Festival will no longer be held at Point State Park, it’s moving entirely to the Downtown Cultural District; and we hear how delays in distributing nursing licenses in the state are preventing qualified health care professionals from working on the front lines.
Some local bridges are getting maintenance funds more quickly than others
(0:00 - 8:30)
The Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed Jan. 28, and within three days, the funds for a replacement for this structure were secured from the federal government through a special discretionary grant.
But what is the normal process for doling out funds for repairs or replacements for bridges in use that are in poor condition?
“[The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation] certainly plays a big role, but under federal law, any bridge that's funded with federal money has to be vetted through what's called a regional planning commission in Western Pennsylvania, it’s the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission,” explains Ed Blazina, who covers infrastructure for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
In an investigation, Blazina and his colleagues Jonathan Silver, Sean Hamill and Joel Jacobs, looked at the process for funding bridges in the state.
“If you're silent and you're a small community, you'll almost never get funded. That seems to be the way it works,” says Blazina. “If you have a bad bridge and need funding, then you jump up and down and scream and call your state senator and call your county commissioners and say, ‘Hey, we need some help here.’”
Although most bridges are inspected every two years by PennDOT, Blazina says the results of the inspections don’t neatly translate to repairs and maintenance for deteriorated bridges. Local municipalities also aren’t great at navigating the system for acquiring funding to repair bridges.
“PennDOT and the regional planners do a sort of juggling act where they look at all the bridges, they try to address the ones that are in the most serious shape, and then prevent others from getting in that kind of bad shape,” says Blazina.
Cheryl Moon-Sirianni, the PennDOT district executive overseeing Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties, told Blazina the process for allocating funding has worked to keep major bridges in operable shape while also addressing those in poor shape.
The Three Rivers Arts Festival is moving to the Cultural District
(8:35 - 16:40)
This year’s Three Rivers Art Festival won’t be held at Point State Park: It is moving entirely to the Cultural District downtown.
The Cultural Trust, which organizes the 10-day festival, says this shift is because of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) issuing new rules and regulations around the park.
“We were really, really sad,” says Sarah Aziz, the director of festival management for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “Over the past two years, we've gotten very used to having to shift our plans and making contingencies, and things are different and so on the one hand, at least those skills were sharpened and we began planning for a new festival.”
The DCNR explained the decision in an e-mailed statement: “As a result of a need to properly manage the park, its resources, and the health and safety of visitors, DCNR has instituted a policy capping all large events at Point State Park to seven days. That policy provides park staff with five days in between long events for maintenance after the large events. The new policy was implemented after careful consideration to ensure the park is available for non-event use by everyday visitors, while also allowing for larger events to continue. The special event guidelines developed are updated periodically to improve resource recovery and visitor services while accommodating event requests.”
Aziz says the team behind the festival considered shortening the event to accommodate DCNR’s rules, but ultimately decided keeping the event to ten days was important to them.
“We're still going to have three stages. We're still going to have hundreds of artists in the artist market. We're still going to have public art. We're still going to have your funnel cake,” says Aziz.
Losing the park location means more work to redirect guests and reconsidering the event’s footprint. However, Aziz says relocating to the Cultural District may make it more accessible for some, due to the pavement, and there will be efforts made to maintain family-friendly activities.
Pennsylvania is lagging in distributing nursing licenses
(16:44 - 22:30)
Over the past year, hospitals around the country have dealt with a massive shortage of nurses.
But in Pennsylvania, thousands of nurses who wanted to work were stuck waiting for months to get the licenses that are required to get jobs.
WITF’s Brett Sholtis has the details, as part of a collaboration with NPR’s data investigations team.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
