Officials break ground on long-delayed public works facility for Pittsburgh's South Hills

After years of delays, Pittsburgh officials on Wednesday broke ground at a new Department of Public Works facility in the city’s Knoxville neighborhood.

Officials have promised the facility — which will service 16 neighborhoods in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh — will allow crews to plow and salt roads quicker after snowstorms.

The project has been in the works for over six years, but was delayed because of supply chain issues during the covid-19 pandemic and the discovery of an unknown mineshaft at the site.

Crews that were traveling from Pittsburgh’s Strip District to service the southern portion of Pittsburgh now will be served by this facility.

“It’s a long time coming,” Councilman Bob Charland, D-South Side, said. “Not having a Fourth Division (facility) was not sustainable.”

Though Charland said the site “can’t come soon enough,” it’s slated to be completed by the 2025 winter season, said Don Mudrick, the project manager. It may be partially operational in the 2024 winter season, he said.

The 13,000-square-foot site will include a truck wash bay, offices, locker rooms for men and women, a kitchenette and a yard waste collection area for residents, Mudrick said.

Construction on the $8.2 million project is slated to begin “within the next couple weeks,” he said.

Local residents have often criticized the city’s slow response to snow since the prior DPW facility was torn down in 2018 due to structural issues.

“When they tore that building down, we were so upset,” Knoxville resident Fran Broadus said. “Today is a good day.”

Mayor Ed Gainey said DPW crews did “a remarkable job” of servicing the area’s streets despite having no facility in the area and working with limited personnel and equipment.

“It’s been a long road with many bumps — covid, mine shafts, other things,” Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview said. “I think it will be worth the wait.”