May 5--About 400 Brighton Heights residents will have to leave their homes, move their cars and remove any pets by 11 a.m. Wednesday while contractors use explosives to demolish an unstable bridge.

City officials announced Monday that Phoenix, Md.-based Controlled Demolition Inc. will implode the bridge carrying Davis Avenue over Woods Run Avenue between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday. A consultant two weeks ago warned that two deteriorated supports raised the danger of collapse, and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl called for the emergency demolition.

The urgency will prevent CDI from doing some preparation work, such as tearing up the road around the bridge, said city Public Safety Director Michael Huss.

"The bridge is not safe enough to perform that work, so there is going to be a larger percussion that you would normally have for a bridge like this," he said. A large pile of dirt is heaped on Woods Run Avenue under the bridge, intended to cushion the impact of the falling steel and concrete.

Concerns about flying debris and the shock from the explosion led the city to create an "exclusion zone" along Woods Run Avenue and side streets between Mairdale Avenue and about 300 feet south of Rodney Street, and along Davis Avenue to just west of Campus Street. Before leaving, residents are urged to remove cars, board or move their pets, and close all windows, doors and intake vents to protect against airborne dust.

Also ordered to evacuate were some residents along Harbison Avenue, Stanford Road and Campus, Laird, Langtry, Pemberton, Purdue, Rodney and Whitla streets. Riverview Park will be closed during the demolition.

Residents within the exclusion zone must stay away from the area for at least one hour after the demolition. People are asked to check the city's Web site, watch city cable channel 13 or call the 311 help line before they return home. Building inspectors will sweep the area after the demolition to check for property damage and hazards.

"Our goal is to get residents back into their houses as quickly as possible," Huss said.

The mayor's emergency declaration allowed the city to skip the competitive-bidding process and award a $758,000 contract to CDI, which demolished Three Rivers Stadium in 2001 and had workers in town to tear down the last high-rise apartment complex in East Liberty.

Details of the contract were not available yesterday. Huss said lawyers were still working on details such as who would be responsible for repairing broken windows.

Some living in the evacuation zone were still concerned about what they must do to protect their homes and belongings. Roy Engleman, 56, lives with his wife, two sons, two cats and several fish just a block from the bridge, and he wondered whether he'd have to pull keepsakes off his mantle and take down mirrors and stained-glass hangings.

"I've been disappointed that (officials) would not be very specific," he said. "Common sense told me I should take my animals out."

Dan Jamison, a resident of Laird Street, said he didn't mind minor damage as long as the demolition didn't come with major complications.

"I'd rather have my windows broken than have my foundation fall apart," said Jamison, 43.

Police will go door-to-door today to notify residents of the mandatory evacuation and advise them on preparing their homes. If the demolition is delayed due to bad weather, residents will get automated phone calls and an update on the city's Web site by this afternoon.

Residents in the four houses closest to the bridge on Woods Run Avenue were asked to evacuate April 21 in case the bridge fell. The city is giving them a $200-a-day stipend for food and accommodations.

Matthew Santoni can be reached at msantoni@tribweb.com or 412-380-5625.

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