Paving work to disrupt Three Rivers Heritage Trail starting Wednesday

A nearly $90,000 improvement project on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail on Pittsburgh’s South Side begins Thursday and is expected to cause three days of disruption for trail users.

The project involves removing roots that caused the surface to buckle, improving drainage and repaving the trail between the Hot Metal Bridge and Becks Run Road. Crews for A. Folino Construction Inc. will be milling the trail from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, weather permitting, then repaving the surface on Monday.

During milling, there could be intermittent delays, and flaggers will control trail traffic. The trail will be closed in that area on Monday, but Friends of the Riverfront and the Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy will provide shuttle service between SpringHill Suites on Water Street and the Haysglen Street trail entrance.

The project is being paid for through a $44,600 matching grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnerships Program. The city worked closely with the two trail support groups for the project, which will address a lingering problem.

“Our partnership with DCNR and Friends of the Riverfront is about more than fixing the trail surface,” Angela Martinez, assistant director of the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said in a news release. “It’s about investing in spaces that connect people to one another and to our rivers.

“This section of trail, in particular, is highly traveled and has been in need for resurfacing for quite some time. We appreciate the funding and support of our partners to improve the safety, accessibility and the overall trail experience for everyone who enjoys Pittsburgh’s riverfronts.”

Other roadwork starting at midweek includes:

• Parkway West — More work to install anti-icing systems will occur around the highway’s interchange with Interstate 79 beginning Thursday night. The ramp from southbound I-79 to outbound Parkway West will be closed from 6 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday; from 6 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday; from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday; and from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Nov. 8. Detours will be posted. Crews already are working on the ramp from the inbound Parkway West to northbound I-79 this week as part of the $12.6 million project to improve the highway between Ridge Road and I-79 in Robinson and Collier.
• Route 28 — Crews will be sealing the surface and painting traffic lines inbound overnight between Millvale and the interchanges to Pittsburgh’s North Side the rest of this week, resulting in moving single-lane restrictions as needed. The work will take place between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Route 22 — Overnight single-lane restrictions will occur in both directions between the Imperial and Hankey Farms interchanges in North Fayette from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays through Monday. Crews will be installing traffic monitoring equipment.
• Route 51 — From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, crews will be inspecting storm drain inlets in West Mifflin, Baldwin, Pleasant Hills and Jefferson Hills. That will cause single-lane and shoulder restrictions in both directions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The work is part of a $19.9 million improvement project between Peters Creek Road in Jefferson Hills and Stewart Avenue in Pittsburgh.
• Route 8 — Single-lane restrictions in both directions between Saxonburg Boulevard in Shaler and Route 28 in Etna will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday and last through late November. The restrictions will allow crews to saw concrete joints and seal the roadway. A $9.1 million project will improve the highway from Saxonburg Boulevard to Baker Street near the 62^nd Street Bridge in Pittsburgh.
• Parkway East — Beams to build the new Commercial Street Bridge near the outbound end of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel on the Parkway East are scheduled to be delivered between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. The beams will travel south on Interstate 79, inbound on the Parkway West, and outbound on the Parkway East to a plaza on the left side of the road just outside the tunnel. There will be intermittent traffic stops of 15 minutes or less as crews move the beams to the other side of the road and lower them into Frick Park. The new bridge will be assembled in the park adjacent to the old one, then in July the highway will be closed, the old bridge demolished and the new bridge moved into place.
• Route 50 – Emergency manhole repair work will reduce the road to one lane in each direction Thursday from Thoms Run Road in Collier to Greentree Road in Scott. Crews will be working from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and both lanes of traffic will be shifted to the westbound lanes so they can work in the eastbound lanes.