The traffic pattern due to construction around Pennsylvania American Water’s Becks Run Road water treatment plant on Pittsburgh’s South Side will change Wednesday evening.
The water company, which is in the process of replacing two 42-inch mains that supply the Hays Mine Treatment Plant, has been working on the upper section of Becks Run since early June. Wednesday evening, the section between Agnew Road and Wagner Street will reopen to two-way traffic.
In addition, Becks Run will be open from Agnew to East Carson Street through Dec. 3 with single-lane alternating traffic through the work zone near Susquehanna Street.
Beginning Dec. 3, the section of Becks Run from Wagner to East Carson will close. Southbound drivers on East Carson will not be able to access Wagner.
Motorists traveling east on Wagner will not be able to turn left to go north on Becks Run, but they will be able to turn right and head south on the upper section of Becks Run.
The water company will continue to allow school buses, emergency vehicles, residents and businesses to use this area with flaggers from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and with temporary traffic signals allowing single-lane traffic from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Work is continuing in the lower section near Susquehanna Street and is expected to be finished in early 2025.
Installing new water lines is part of a $74 million plan to improve the Hays Mine plant. Pennsylvania American expects the water line work to cost about $34 million with another $22 million earmarked for improvements at the plant itself, which should be finished by the end of the year.
Overall, the project involves installing 3 miles of pipes to draw water from the Monongahela River and pump it uphill to the plant for treatment. So far, more than 6,000 linear feet of pipe have been laid.
The plant provides water to about 137,000 customers in southern Allegheny County.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.