For the next 15 months, it will be harder for Carrick residents to get a cool treat from Page Dairy Mart on East Carson Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side.
That’s because a large portion of Becks Run Road, the main connection from the hilltop neighborhood, will be closed while Pennsylvania American Water replaces two 42-inch water lines over a 3-mile stretch to supply its Hays Mine Treatment Plant. The plant provides water to 137,000 customers in southern Allegheny County.
Becks Run Road will be closed from East Carson Street, where Page Dairy Mart sits at the corner, to East Agnew Road, just past the treatment plant. One lane of traffic will remain open for local businesses, residents, emergency vehicles and Pittsburgh Regional Transit and school buses, but there will be no through traffic.
Although crews will work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, the road will have extremely limited access at all times.
Gary Lobaugh, director of government and external affairs for Pennsylvania American, said the traffic management plan was designed to “ensure the safety of workers and road users while minimizing traffic disruption.”
“We strongly recommend that motorists take a moment to familiarize themselves with the suggested detour and plan their commutes in advance to adjust to the project,” Lobaugh said in a statement. “Additional motorists attempting to use the roadway through the project zone will cause extended delays for these essential users and further cause traffic disruptions in the surrounding area.”
The recommended detour has inbound traffic on Becks Run follow East Agnew Road to Joseph Street, Glass Run Road and East Carson Street. Outbound traffic should reverse the trip from East Carson to Glass Run Road, Joseph Street and East Agnew Road to Becks Run.
The $34 million project will provide two new lines to draw water from the Monongahela River and carry it up the hill to the Hays Mine plant for treatment. The plant itself also is in the midst of a $22 million update that started last September and should be finished by the end of the year.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.