Closed New Kensington Bridge a headache for some, a hope for others

Ron Weidenhoff spent the early morning hours Monday setting up a porch sale at his home along West Seventh Avenue in Tarentum.

By 8:30 a.m., he could tell there was an uptick in traffic.

“My porch was actually rattling from the trucks,” he said. “So many big trucks.”

Just a few blocks away, rush-hour traffic on the Tarentum Bridge was snarled even more than usual, with vehicles inching across the span.

Both situations were the result of a six-week closure of the New Kensington Bridge, which began at 9 a.m. and will divert more than 15,000 vehicles through East Deer and Tarentum daily.

Work is scheduled through Sept. 4.

At nearly a century old, the bridge is undergoing a $24.59 million preservation project that started in March and is scheduled to be finished in fall 2024.

Chief Michael Naviglia of the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department doesn’t expect traffic to be too much of a headache. He hasn’t planned extra patrols but will do so if called upon.

“We were told by the construction company that they will call us if they need us,” Naviglia said.

His department covers Springdale Township, Cheswick and East Deer.

The chief said that because the northbound Freeport Road bridge underpass in East Deer closed last week, motorists already were allowing extra time for travel.

“I don’t think it will be a major ordeal,” he said. “There’s always some hiccups, but I think it will be OK.”

Motorists on northbound Freeport Road can use the ramp to the bridge to continue north toward Tarentum. Southbound traffic is not affected.

In West Tarentum, Weidenhoff said traffic wasn’t backed up to a standstill, but he definitely could feel the impact of the bridge closure.

“I’ve seen dump trucks and tankers and everything else,” he said. “We get a lot of traffic already. It’s going to be swamped.”

Some business owners are hoping to capitalize on the new people coming through town.

Brian Snyder, Tarentum councilman and owner of the Dry Bones skate shop, said “it would be awesome if people ventured down into our business district to see what we have to offer.”

That’s the optimist in him, Snyder said.

“The realist says that people will be stuck in traffic along Seventh Avenue, and they’ll probably take that right turn and go across the Tarentum Bridge to get home, or wherever they’re going,” he said. “But we can hope. It would be fantastic for businesses to have a couple extra thousand cars come through town.”

Others, like Jenn Rollinger, manager of My Eye Doctor in New Kensington’s Central City Plaza, said her business is reminding clients of the closure. She said many of her clients come from the Springdale and Cheswick areas.

“We haven’t really noticed yet with it being day one, but when we book appointments, we remind them the bridge is closed,” she said.

Sonya Harris of New Kensington said she would rather see the crews take their time on the bridge and get the construction done right than rush the job and require more repairs in the future.

“It’s a good thing because it does need repaired,” she said. “But it’s inconvenient for people who have to work.”

The New Kensington Bridge was built in 1927. The preservation project will include cosmetic updates, such as new lightpoles and a fresh coat of royal blue paint, as well as structural ones. During the closure, workers will install new expansion dams, complete steel repairs and place a latex overlay on the bridge deck.

The pedestrian sidewalk on the bridge will remain open during this phase, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. The sidewalk will be closed later in the project, and a shuttle will be provided.

Elite Coach Transportation is providing shuttles to help maintain service for transit riders. Service is available from New Kensington Center City Plaza, the Tarentum Park and Ride, and Citizens Plaza Apartments.

Harris hasn’t used the shuttle yet, but she will in the future. She said she usually travels across the bridge only to get groceries in Fox Chapel or for doctor’s appointments.

Westmoreland County Transit’s daily bus service to Pittsburgh Mills was paused Monday because of the closure. The authority’s Route 14 bus service, which typically runs through New Kensington and to the mall, will not go to the mall during the bridge’s six-week closure.

New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo and police Chief Bob Deringer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Shuttle service schedule

Buses arrive about every hour between the start and end times.

Mondays-Fridays

• The first Elite shuttle bus arrives at New Kensington Center City Plaza at 4:10 a.m. and ends at 10:40 p.m.

• The first Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus departs from the Tarentum Park and Ride at 4:33 a.m. and ends at 11:08 p.m.

• The first PRT bus arrives at the Tarentum Park and Ride at 7:34 a.m. and ends at 12:46 a.m.

• Elite pickup time at the Tarentum Park and Ride begins at 7:40 a.m. and ends at 12:46 a.m.

• The Elite drop-off time at the New Kensington Center City Plaza begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 1:10 a.m.

Saturdays

• The first Elite pickup at the New Kensington Center City Plaza begins at 6:50 a.m. and ends at 9:45 p.m.

• The first PRT departs the Tarentum Park and Ride at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 10:16 p.m.

• The first PRT arrives at the Tarentum Park and Ride at 7:06 a.m. and ends at 9:58 p.m.

• The first Elite pickup at the Tarentum Park and Ride is at 7:06 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m.

• The first Elite drop-off time at the New Kensington Center City Plaza is at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 10:30 p.m.

Sundays and holidays

• The first Elite pickup at the New Kensington Center City Plaza is at 7 a.m. and ends at 9:50 p.m.

• The first PRT departs the Tarentum Park and Ride at 7:21 a.m. and ends at 10:26 p.m.

• The first PRT arrives at the Tarentum Park and Ride at 7:02 a.m. and ends at 10:05 p.m.

• The first Elite pickup at the Tarentum Park and Ride is at 7:15 a.m. and ends at 10:05 p.m.

• The first Elite drop off time at the New Kensington Center City Plaza is at 7:40 a.m. and ends at 10:30 p.m.