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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A bridge reopened to pedestrian and vehicle traffic Friday, a day after an adjoining wall and parking lot collapsed onto two businesses below.
The ground supporting the wall adjacent to the Mulberry Street Bridge gave way Thursday afternoon. The collapse sent a car crashing through the roof of a tire warehouse, but no one was hurt.
A Pennsylvania Department of Transportation inspection team on Friday afternoon determined the bridge was safe to use.
The McFarland apartment building also reopened to its residents Friday, though its parking lot remained closed, Pennlive.com reported. Eight adults and seven children had to evacuate Thursday night as a precaution.
The tire warehouse and an adjoining motorcycle shop were empty, and all the employees were accounted for. The roof of the motorcycle shop also fell through.
The damaged business, Howard Tire & Auto, remained closed Friday as the owner tried to figure out how to shore up a storage area that was crushed by debris. The car that tumbled down from the parking lot also remains on top of his roof. Howard Henry told Pennlive.com that he hoped to reopen Monday.
PennDOT owns the bridge but says it doesn't own the adjacent wall and contends the agency isn't responsible for the collapse.
The cause is still under investigation.
PennDOT's Mike Keiser said Friday that heavy rainfall might have contributed to the collapse.
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