A long-awaited project that includes widening a 1.6-mile stretch of Campbells Run Road in Robinson and Collier townships is expected to get underway later this month or early March.
But it won’t be a quick fix by any means.
Brent Wasko, an Allegheny County Department of Public Works spokesperson, said it might take until the spring of 2031 to finish the $45.8 million project.
Wasko said that impacts on traffic early in the project will be minimal and added that prior to work starting, the Public Works Department will announce the upcoming traffic restrictions via social media, Allegheny Alerts and also via press release.
The project will include a full-depth reconstruction of the roadway and the widening of a 1.63-mile stretch of Campbells Run Road to a minimum three-lan corridor with a two-way center turn lane between McMichael Road and Keiners Lane.
Not everyone is convinced that the project will create minimal issues with motorists who use Campbells Run Road on a regular basis.
“It’s going to be a nightmare,” said Diane Butler, co-owner of ServiceMaster, a disaster restoration company located in a plaza near the intersection of McMichael and Campbells Run roads. “If they restrict traffic on what’s now a two-lane road, where do you think that traffic’s going to go?
“I’m not looking forward to the disaster this is going to cause.”
Butler said she’s not sure Campbells Run Road even needs widening and is concerned that it might result in motorists driving faster than they do now.
“It’s not like we’re congested here,” she said. “We don’t have major traffic backups at any given day or time.”
Not everyone sees it that way. Ron Snyder, owner of Snyder Brothers Auto, said traffic jams that are as long as two miles occur on Campbells Run Road at times.
“It’s very frustrating,” said Snyder, who has had his business in the current location for 38 years, near the Campbells Run Road exit off I-376. “I have to deliver cars, and it might take my guys 25 minutes to come back from going a mile away.”
Snyder acknowledged the short-term headaches the work might cause but said he believes it will be worthwhile in the long run.
“It’s going to be disruptive,” he said. “Everything they’re going to do will be a pain in the butt for the business people here.
“But I can’t wait to have a third lane here to help people make turns. I can see us being happy in the end, but until then, it’s going to be a real cluster.”
Ron Shiwarski, president of the Robinson Township Board of Commissioners, said that when the project is completed, everyone using Campbells Run Road – and particularly the people who work and patronize the business parks in the area – will see major relief.
“It’s going to alleviate problems on three different levels – for the current workers, for the residents who use it and commercially for the present and future businesses,” he said.
In addition to widening the 1.6-mile stretch of Campbells Run Road, the project will include:
- Construction of new left- and right-turn lanes at major intersections.
- Realignment of Boyce Road (State Route 3041) and Parkway View Drive to create a new four-way signalized intersection.
- Widening of the parkway off-ramp to Campbells Run Road.
- Installation of new sidewalk between Business Center Drive and Penn Center Boulevard.
- Construction of nine retaining walls.
- Replacement of a culvert on Boyce Road and extension of a culvert on Glass Road.
- Construction of two new stormwater management basins.
- Installation of new curb and roadway drainage between McMichael Road and Keiners Lane.
- Installation of new guide rail, signs and pavement markings, including bike sharrows, between McMichael Road and Keiners Lane.
- Upgrades to traffic signals at existing signalized intersections.
- Utility work.
Wasko said Campbells Run Road is being upgraded to enhance safety and meet current and future transportation needs in a rapidly developing area. Widening the road will increase the corridor’s traffic capacity, Wasko added.
The Federal Highway Administration is covering 80% of the project costs and the county is picking up the remaining 20%.
Wasko said traffic restrictions are still being finalized and will be announced at a later date. But at this point, motorists can expect to see periodic flagging between McMichael Road and Keiners Lane from the start of the project through early fall.
In addition:
- Sections of Campbells Run Road will be closed westbound/outbound during various phases of the project.
- Drivers on Campbells Run Road will not be able to access some side roads, and drivers on some side roads will not be able to access Campbells Run Road during various phases of the project.
- Drivers will always be able to go eastbound/inbound on Campbells Run Road throughout the project.
- Two-way traffic will be maintained between the Parkway off-ramp – technically known as Ramp C — and Boyce Road throughout the project.
Be First to Comment