Biden visits site of collapsed bridge in Pittsburgh

President Biden on Friday visited the site of a bridge in Pittsburgh that collapsed hours before he arrived in the city to tout federal investments in infrastructure through a law signed late last year.

Biden met with local officials and emergency responders near the Fern Hollow Bridge, which collapsed earlier in the day. He said first responders “deserve an incredible amount of credit” and asked for more information about what had unfolded.

“I’ve been coming to Pittsburgh a long time,” Biden said, noting the city is known for its vast number of bridges.

“And we’re going to fix them all,” he added. “Not a joke, this is going to be a gigantic change. There’s 43,000 nationwide. And we’re sending the money. And by the way, we’re going to give you guys more money, too — the cops.”

Reporters on the scene said the smell of gas lingered in the air after authorities said the collapse had caused a natural gas leak.

The 52-year-old bridge collapsed with just a few cars on it at the time it gave way, officials said. Roughly 10 people sustained injuries, though none were believed to be life-threatening and there were no fatalities reported with the collapse.

Friday’s incident came as Biden visited the city to promote the bipartisan infrastructure law that he signed in December. The law provides roughly $1.2 trillion in funding for bridges, ports, roadways, railways and other projects that Biden has argued are badly needed to bring the U.S. in line with other countries.