A portion of Allegheny River Boulevard near the Oakmont-Verona border will be reduced to one lane for about two months as part of a retaining wall restoration project.
Crews from Apollo-based Santamaria Landscaping are expected to start work July 1 on the wall near the viaduct.
Oakmont Council awarded the $121,000 contract to Santamaria last July. The company was the lowest of five bidders.
Borough Manager Scot Fodi said the project may take about two months. Crews will break away loose concrete, repair it and paint the wall.
The wall is on the southern entrance of the borough across from Rite Aid.
The work will be paid for through a $138,000 state Department of Community and Economic Development grant even though the wall is owned by the Allegheny Valley Railroad. The remaining $17,000 may be used for landscaping.
Councilwoman Carrie DelRosso said the railroad declined to spend money on the beautification project, but was working with the borough to ensure permitting and safety for the job.
“I’m happy to see that the wall’s finally starting,” DelRosso said. “It was decaying further. We didn’t want to wait any longer. It’s an infrastructure project.”
Borough officials were hoping to have the work done by now, but all construction projects throughout the state were postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.
