McCandless celebrates completion of North Meadows sidewalk, a key link to Route 19

A new sidewalk off Route 19 in McCandless near Wexford Flats onto North Meadows Drive is another effort to create walkable connections throughout McCandless and the North Hills.

A ribbon-cutting was held Oct. 17 in celebration of the completion of the North Meadows sidewalk, located along North Meadows Drive and extending to Route 19 from the town’s Sherbrook Court.

“Building this sidewalk was more than just putting down some concrete. It was about creating a safe way for our community to connect to the Wexford Flats, Rachel Carson Trail, Commodore Perry Trail and our very own McCandless Brandt Trail,” said Jack Casey, a member of McCandless Council.

The project also included the replacement of existing ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Along with the efforts of McCandless officials, other parties involved include Kishmo Contracting and Gateway Engineers.

The contract price was $197,820. A multimodal transportation fund grant of $142,318, went toward the funding, according to John Schwend, town manager for McCandless.

The grant was obtained with the assistance of state Sen. Lindsay Williams and state Rep. Arvind Venkat, according to Schwend.

The design, grant application and award and completion of construction took about two and a half years, Schwend said.

Casey, with the help of town staff and fellow council members, spent several years acquiring easements from property owners to get the sidewalk completed.

“After three and a half years of hard work, it’s so rewarding to finally see families walking safely along this walkway to all the great places in the area — cafes, restaurants, banks, medical offices, auto shops, churches, schools, grocery stores and businesses of all kinds,” Casey said.

The sidewalk connects to an existing sidewalk system serving an office park, some office buildings, Sherbrook Apartments, The Village of North Meadows, and the communities of Forest Edge and Forest Oaks, and terminates at Richard Road, Casey said.

This system of sidewalks are key for those who want access to areas in and around the North Hills.

The sidewalk at North Meadows also connects to the main sidewalk in the area known as Wexford Flats, off Route 19. And, just a short walk to the north, the sidewalk connects with the Rachel Carson Trail, which crosses Route 19, and heads to the Harmony Trail on the west side or to the North Park trail system to the east, Casey said.

The sidewalk system at North Park Meadows also connects to Wexford Plaza, and, if heading south on Route 19, passes Poor Richard’s Pub, and ties into the Brandt Trail system at the end of another recently constructed sidewalk at Longvue Avenue, he said.

“We already started seeing residents enjoy it,” Schwend said.

Council recently voted unanimously to apply for funding to create more sidewalks in Ingomar, located within McCandless, Casey said.

“We are particularly interested in building sidewalks along Harmony Road to Ingomar Elementary School,” Casey said.

He hopes the town can acquire grants to connect the east side of Route 19 from the Ingomar Fire Department substation toward the North Allegheny Senior High, both also on Route 19.

This will “help students and families walk to school/events and the (Wexford) Flats safely,” he said.

Casey noted that the Romans actually were among the first to create sidewalks, building raised pedestrian paths alongside their roads to keep foot traffic safe from things such as wagons, chariots and oxen.

“Sidewalks have been helping people stroll safely for a couple thousand years. Let’s continue the vision of our Comprehensive Plan to build out sidewalks that most benefit our residents,” Casey said.

Casey also thanked Dr. Ghassan Bejjani, who owned the commercial building near the North Meadows sidewalk, for granting the necessary easement to make the sidewalk possible.

He also acknowledged the support from McCandless Council President Jason Singer, fellow council members, Schwend and staff assistant Diane Romanek.