Portion of Route 356 in Allegheny Township to close through August

A portion of Route 356 will close Thursday and is expected to remain closed through the end of August as crews replace a bridge over Pine Run, according to PennDOT.

Traffic will be blocked from Melwood Road/Hyde Park Road to La Belle Vue Road in Allegheny Township. Crews have already begun drainage work on this stretch, with single-lane restrictions in place since May 9.

Local traffic still will be able to take Route 356 northbound to La Belle Vue Road via the roundabout, which opened in October.

All other vehicles, including heavy trucks and wide loads, must follow a 12-mile detour using Route 66, Route 56 and Hyde Park Road. That route takes motorists across the Rudy Minarcin Memorial Bridge connecting Vandergrift and Parks Township.

Allegheny Township Manager Jason Dailey acknowledged the impact of on-and-off work along Route 356.

“The detour is obviously going to add a few minutes to travel times,” Dailey said. “It’s kind of what we’re used to right now with some of the recent closures we’ve had.”

Along with replacing the bridge over Pine Run, crews from Ligonier Construction Co. will add a left turning lane headed northbound on Route 356 to alleviate traffic congestion at the intersection with Melwood Road/Hyde Park Road.

The work is part of a $7.7 million infrastructure project, which included the roundabout as well as the realignment of Route 356 and La Belle Vue Road.

Only the upcoming work north of the roundabout and the realignment of La Belle Vue remains, with paving, stormwater maintenance and signal upgrades happening as each section is completed.

Motorists have adjusted well to the roundabout — the first of its kind in the Alle-Kiski Valley — though some trucks have struggled to make the bend, according to Dailey. He said PennDOT has informed the township that it will widen the curb in the coming months.

Construction is expected to wrap up next May.