14:25
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has gone on Twitter to say that the White House is in touch with state and local officials regarding the Pittsburgh bridge collapse. Joe Biden will proceed with his trip to the city as planned, she said.
Jen Psaki
(@PressSec).@POTUS has been told of the bridge collapse in Pittsburgh. Our team is in touch with state and local officials on the ground as they continue to gather information about the cause of the collapse.
Jen Psaki
(@PressSec)@POTUS is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time. The President will proceed with trip planned for today and will stay in touch with officials on the ground about additional assistance we can provide.
14:18
Bridge collapses in Pittsburgh ahead of Biden’s infrastructure remarks
Joe Biden is heading to Pittsburgh today to deliver remarks about supply chains, manufacturing jobs and above all, the $1tn bipartisan infrastructure law that will go toward improving roadways and bridges across the country.
Hours before the president was set to leave Washington, a bridge collapsed near the city’s Frick Park. Though authorities say no initial reports of injuries , the collapse severed gas lines.
Tim Williams
(@realtimwilliams)#BREAKING New photos of a bridge collapse in #Pittsburgh. Several cars and a city bus were on the bridge when it collapsed. Crews trying to rescue them now. 📸: @PAKnitWit pic.twitter.com/ry9s2K1V4d
Pittsburgh Public Safety
(@PghPublicSafety)UPDATE 3:
PIO is on scene. Will advise on when there will be a news conference. https://t.co/l8tQryZwIW pic.twitter.com/OEHkAPJy6N
No doubt the bridge collapse will bolster Biden’s stance for why the infrastructure law was so necessary – an American Road and Transportation Builders Association analysis of the Department of Transportation’s 2020 national bridge inventory found that more than 220,000 bridges across the country are in need of repair, with 45,000 considered structurally deficient. That’s 36% – more than a third – of all bridges in the US.
But Punchbowl News is reporting that prior to the bridge collapse, Biden was focusing his remarks on economic growth, in particular on the 367,000 manufacturing jobs created since Biden took office. In talking about the infrastructure law, he was going to talk about how it has strengthened the supply chain.
We’ll see how his remarks will change with the bridge collapse – and if talking about what has been a feather in his legislative agenda should help with his approval ratings. A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll had Biden’s approval was at 32-62 – not great.