With Memorial Day over, more changes begin this week on road construction projects. Here’s what to expect this week from the orange barrel brigade:
- Business Route 22 – Getting to Monroeville Mall in Monroeville will be more complicated beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday when the ramp from Business Route 22 that winds above the highway is closed. The work, which will last until mid-August, will include deck replacement work on one of the main entrances to the shopping complex. It is part of Golden Triangle Construction’s $23.8 million project between Churchill and Route 48/Mosside Boulevard in Monroeville. The project, which has resulted in numerous traffic restrictions the past two years, should be finished this fall. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recommends using the traffic light at Business Route 22 and Holiday Center for access to the mall.
- Clairton Road/Route 885 – The highway will be restricted to one lane in each direction between Sunset Drive and Miller Road beginning Tuesday while crews construct bridge approaches through June 5 for a new span that will be built for the Mon-Fayette Expressway. The work is part of Trumbull Corp.’s $165.6 million contract with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to build a 2-mile section of the new toll road between Coal Valley Road in Jefferson Hills to a point north of Camp Hollow Road near Curry Hollow Road in West Mifflin.
- University Line – Pittsburgh Regional Transit will begin work in four new work areas this week in Downtown Pittsburgh as part of its $291 million project to create exclusive bus lanes between Downtown and Oakland. On Tuesday, Independence Excavating Inc. begins work in two areas, on Sixth Avenue between Smithfield Street and William Penn Place and on Fifth Avenue between Liberty Avenue and Market Street, where crews had been working on the opposite side of the street. Traffic on Sixth Avenue will be one lane in each direction until late fall. On Fifth Avenue, traffic will remain one lane only toward Liberty, but the open lane will shift from the Triangle Park side of the street to the other side through late fall. On Friday, two more sites will begin construction along Fifth Avenue, between Smithfield and Grant streets and between Sixth Avenue and Ross Street. As a result, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Smithfield and Grant and between Ross and Sixth until late fall. The work involves installing five stations for the Bus Rapid Transit system that will open as they are ready. The full system is set to be finished in 2027.
- PRT’s Red Line – Track work at the Willow Avenue crossing will switch from the inbound tracks to the outbound side beginning Wednesday. As a result, riders using the system at St. Anne, Willow and Overbrook Junction should use inbound platforms whether they are headed inbound or outbound. Delays of up to 40 minutes can be expected since inbound and outbound trains will use the same set of tracks through June 16. The Red Line will operate as normal between Downtown and South Hills Village.
- Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival – The Rachel Carson Bridge at Ninth Street, Downtown, will close from 9 a.m. Tuesday through 4 p.m. June 11 for the annual arts festival. For other traffic restrictions during the festival, go to https://traf.trustarts.org/traf_home/visit/parking-and-transportation.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.