Nadine Road reopens in Penn Hills

Allegheny County public works officials announced recently that Nadine Road in Penn Hills would be closed a week longer than expected for drainage repairs, reopening today, Thursday.

For frequent users of Nadine, which connects Lincoln Road to Allegheny River Boulevard, the news likely was not a surprise. It has closed five times since 2014 for reasons ranging from failed retaining walls to a landslide and has proved a particular challenge for county maintenance officials.

“The topography is one of the main factors,” said Stephen Shanley, director of Allegheny County Public Works. “You’re going downhill, and you’re in a valley.”

Penn Hills’ name is well-earned. The paths that eventually became places like Nadine Road and Lime Hollow Road are cut deep through the massive hills leading up into the municipality.

Natural drainage and erosion is part of what has cut those paths over the centuries. In the case of Nadine Road, a small stream called Ryan’s Run makes its way down the hillside before winding back and forth several times underneath the roadway.

“All of those things contribute to the issues,” Shanley said. “If you get a clogged drain or a deteriorating one, it can create a problem. There are also some private structures along the road that have caused some issues in the past.”

In 2014, Nadine was closed to repair a large landslide, which occurred at one of the steepest points along the hill on the road’s northern side. It was closed in 2016 to replace a box culvert, in 2019 to replace a failed wall, in 2020 to replace two retaining walls and this year to replace a cross pipe.

“When you have a stream like that running adjacent to the road, that can really affect things,” Shanley said. “A lot of the infrastructure is getting older, but we’re trying to be as proactive as we can.”

That tactic is part of the reason for the extended closure — the drainage repairs were more extensive than public works crews initially anticipated.

“Our maintenance district does what it can do to keep everything open and draining correctly,” Shanley said.