A few new projects and major changes to ongoing work highlight this week’s construction on local roads. Here’s what to expect:
- Browns Hill Road – Lane closures will start at 5 a.m. Monday between Beechwood Boulevard-Hazelwood Avenue and the Homestead Grays Bridge in Pittsburgh and last until December for major improvements that include extensive concrete roadway and joint repairs, drainage improvements, sidewalk repairs and curb replacement. Each weekday, one of the two inbound lanes will be closed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and one of the two outbound lanes will be closed from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Allegheny County, which owns the roadway, said weekend work may be incorporated later in the project. Work hours are designed to avoid peak travel times, but the road serves 40,000 vehicles a day, and delays can be expected.
- Warren Hill Road – The road in Forward will close at 9 a.m. Monday until December for the next step in Allegheny County’s replacement of bridges over Fallen Timber Run. The project involves replacing Fallen Timber Run Bridge No. 6, which is considered in poor condition, and improving the roadway around it. The work will require the continued closure of Roberts Hollow Road, which has been closed from Warren Hill to Wall Road for the replacement of Fallen Timber Run bridges No. 5 and 7 since March. Residents will have access to their homes during work, and customers can get to businesses on Roberts Hollow, but motorists will not be able to drive through the intersection of Roberts Hollow and Warren Hill or through the work zone on Roberts Hollow just south of Warren Hill. Detours are posted. Pugliano Construction Co. has a $1.4 million contract to replace all three bridges.
- Interstate 279 – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is making another change in the traffic pattern for work on the substructures on the highway on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Beginning Monday, northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane as needed between the off-ramp for Route 28 North-Chestnut Street-East Ohio Street-Etna and the East Ohio Street overpass. This week, work could occur from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday and 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Aug. 25-29. There will be no work on the Labor Day weekend. The work is part of emergency repairs to support piers, where inspectors found unexpected deterioration early this year.
- Parkway East – Work will continue from 3 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday to build a restraining wall on the outbound side of the highway just past the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, but this could be the last week for daytime restrictions. The work requires the right-hand outbound lane to be closed between Beechwood Boulevard and the Edgewood-Swissvale exits, including closure of the Beechwood entrance ramp. Detours are posted. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation anticipates shifting the work next week to 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights through October. The work is part of the $95 million replacement of the Commercial Street Bridge that is just before the inbound tunnel.
- Steuben Street – Crews will be relocating a water line at the intersection with West Crafton Avenue in Crafton beginning at 9 a.m. Monday and lasting through late December. As a result, Steuben will be reduced to one lane of alternating traffic controlled by flaggers. Initial work is expected to be done between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. by contractors for Pittsburgh American Water, but road restoration work will be done from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. later in the year.
- Route 51 – A single-lane restriction will take place as needed at the intersection with Glenburn Drive in Pleasant Hills from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday as needed for traffic signal repairs through Aug. 29.
- Fort Duquesne Bridge – A $3.9 million project to preserve the northern end of the bridge will begin at 9 p.m. Monday. The work involves repairing deteriorated concrete on overhangs and the underside of bridge decks on the double-deck bridge. The work will cause single-lane and shoulder restrictions from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Friday on the ramp from southbound Route 65 to the lower deck of the bridge and on the inbound Interstate 279 approach to the bridge. Also, traffic using the ramp from Ridge Avenue to the lower deck will have a stop sign. Due to the bridge work, single-lane restrictions also will occur as needed through December on the streets on Pittsburgh’s North Side under the bridge. Work should be finished next spring.
- Route 28 – Work to install conduit and signs for the system to warn drivers going the wrong way on the highway will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays this week on the northbound off-ramps to Route 8 south at the RD Fleming Bridge-Sharpsburg exit, where the lane will be reduced to 11 feet wide, and the Delafield Avenue exit. This has changed from the locations announced earlier. The $4.8 million system should begin operating next spring between Pittsburgh’s North Side and Harmar.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.