Roadwork continues through next month in McCandless

Work on Cumberland Road, which accesses McKnight Elementary and North Allegheny Intermediate schools in McCandless, pretty much finished just in time for the start of classes on Aug. 22.

Some remaining tasks will be worked on at night through the next month or so.

Drivers have been facing intermittent detours and road closures in that area for a portion of July and August. The major roadside and infrastructure upgrades are being done in tandem with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 11, West View Water Authority and Peoples Natural Gas.

North Allegheny facilities director Brandon Chabola said some of the gas line work was set to be largely finished by Aug. 21, with a few remaining activities.

“(Peoples Gas) will still have to finish repairing the ground and grass areas along the side of the road, but I’m told this won’t interfere with traffic,” Chabola said.

As for PennDOT, Chabola said the department’s work is scheduled to start mid- to late-September.

“They are planning on working at night so it doesn’t interfere with any school day traffic,” he said. “Overall, I’m being told that WVWA and Peoples Gas are working as quick as they can to help prevent any traffic interruptions once school has started. We have expressed to them the amount of traffic we have and how vital it is for buses to get out on time.”

All three entities’ projects are significant.

Peoples is replacing approximately 2,500 feet of bare steel pipelines that date back to 1969 with state-of-the-art materials that are less susceptible to leaks and corrosion, according to Nicholas Paradise, representative for the gas company.

“This project on Cumberland Road is part of our long-term efforts to replace 3,000 miles of pipeline between 2013 to 2034, creating a safer, more reliable and more sustainable gas distribution system for our region,” he said.

Peoples’ project in those areas began on July 10 and is just about on schedule, Paradise said.

Temporary restoration efforts have been and will be conducted as work is completed, and then Peoples crews will return for a full restoration of impacted roads, sidewalks and property in the near future.

Typically, restoration occurs one to two months after construction concludes. Peoples crews are coordinating with West View Water Authority in both the short- and long-term restoration efforts, Paradise said.

When necessary, Peoples will stagger work around bus traffic. The company’s construction permit allows work to occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.

PennDOT District 11 improvement work that began in June is on Sample Road, Babcock Boulevard nd Cumberland Road in both Hampton and McCandless townships, according to a press release from the district.

The PennDOT improvement work includes milling and paving, drainage upgrades, shoulder repairs, guide rail updates, pavement markings and other construction-related activities.

“However, this is night work and our crews will be off the road by 6 a.m. So there should be no impacts to the schools from our group paving project,” said Steve Cowan, press officer for District 11.

The $9.55 million group paving project has A. Folino Construction as the prime contractor.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. through early October on these streets: Sample Road between Mount Royal Boulevard in Hampton and Peebles Road in McCandless; Cumberland Road between Perry Highway and Babcock Boulevard in McCandless; and Babcock Boulevard between Cumberland Road and Duncan Avenue in McCandless.

Bob Hutton of the West View Water Authority said the authority wants to finish with the waterline upgrades by Labor Day. The goal was mid-August, but unanticipated rock excavations prolonged that date.

Hutton said the authority is mostly finished and has been in communication with Chabola since the project’s start.

“Other than that, I think we went according to plan,” Hutton said.