Westmoreland County Courthouse garage construction behind schedule

The $7 million reconstruction project of a two-story underground parking garage at the Westmoreland County Courthouse is about six months behind schedule, but officials said final preparations are being readied to complete the work by the end of April.

Work started last April to demolish and rebuild the parking structure after engineers determined the garage was in danger of collapse because of sustained water damage and erosion.

The completion date of the project, originally expected to last six months, was pushed back by a series of design issues and supply chain obstacles, according to Greg McCloskey, the director of operations for Westmoreland County.

“The project’s timeline has shifted, and we’re now anticipating a completion date in mid- to late April,” McCloskey said.

Officials initially projected the garage reconstruction to be completed last October.

Concrete and support beams for the bottom two floors of the underground garage have been installed. Workers expect to pour concrete starting March 13 for the sub-decking to support the ground level plaza that will serve as a new front entry point on Main Street to the courthouse complex.

The surface level for the plaza is scheduled to be installed the week of April 19.

When that phase is completed, about 2,700 cubic yards of concrete will be poured to support the rebuilt garage and plaza.

“After that, that’s when we will have the front entrance either completed or temporarily opened. At that point, it is adding the amenities,” McCloskey said.

Plans for the revamped courthouse square plaza have not been finalized, but officials said the one-level area that in past years has served as a county park once again will function as a gathering place. It will be paved and without trees, but the square will feature benches and seven to 10 large plastic all-weather shade sails erected throughout the space.

Engineers in early 2022 released a report that found decades of water damage had eroded support beams and concrete on the upper and lower parking levels under the courthouse. In March, commissioners closed the parking garage and hired Carl Walker Construction to rebuild the structure.

The Main Street entrance to the government complex was shifted several hundred feet to the formerly shuttered front door of the century-old courthouse building as the work began.

Issues such as water infiltration into the construction site, along with the discovery of bedrock, prompted additional design work and a requirement that larger support columns be erected to support the rebuilt structure, all leading to six months of additional work.

Still, McCloskey said the price tag for the work remains at $7 million.

“It’s not costing us any more money, just time,” McCloskey said.