Public comments could lead to 'minor changes' to Springhill Road project in Harrison

Allegheny County received more than 100 comments about a project to create a shared pedestrian and bicycle lane on Springhill Road in Harrison.

The path would be between North Canal Street and McWilliams Drive. Springhill Road, now four lanes up and down the hill, would be reduced to three lanes, with one down and two up.

The county received 111 comments about the project between June 15 and July 15, said Brent Wasko, spokesman for the county’s Department of Public Works.

“Based on some of those comments, we are discussing several possible minor changes to our project plans that might further improve vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist safety,” Wasko said.

Details of those changes were not available, as Wasko said they were still being discussed and are not finalized.

Wasko said the county does not expect the changes to significantly alter the schedule. The county anticipates awarding a contract in the fall, with work starting in late winter or early spring and being finished next summer.

The project’s total cost is about $1.3 million, with $750,000 of that for construction. A federal grant of roughly $642,000 is going toward the project, with Allegheny County paying for anything federal funding doesn’t cover. There is no cost to the township, Wasko said.

Wasko said he and Jason Molinero, deputy director of engineering, will attend the Harrison Commissioners meeting on Aug. 24. Wasko said they will be there to answer questions commissioners might have about a maintenance agreement the county is asking the township to approve, or the project in general.

The agreement proposed by the county would require Harrison to provide inspection and maintenance services “to ensure the safe and unobstructed use of the shared-use path,” Wasko said.

Commissioner William Heasley said township officials have questions about the maintenance responsibilities the township would take on through the agreement. He did not know how much maintenance of the path will cost the township annually.

“With some of that maintenance there are going to be some liability questions we have as well,” he said.

According to Wasko, commissioners in 2015 asked the county to investigate constructing a shared-use path on or along Springhill Road. In 2017, commissioners gave a letter of support for the project that was included in the county’s application for the federal grant.

In the 2017 letter, “the commissioners stated that if the county was successful in securing funding for the project, Harrison Township would provide maintenance for the shared-use path,” Wasko said.

“Based on those letters and the township’s consistent help and support, we anticipate we will be able to work together to come to an agreement regarding maintenance,” he said. “If that does not occur, we will evaluate our options.”

Heasley said commissioners had shown support for the project to help residents in the Natrona area get more safely up the hill to the Natrona Heights area. He said he’s hopeful the township and county will be able to work something out.

“We’ll see what they have to say,” he said.