Laurel: To flying high. The Tarentum Bridge carries about 36,000 vehicles a day across the Allegheny River. Soon it will also carry the weight of a $97.5 million rehabilitation project.
But before construction begins in 2027, planners are making sure another set of residents is considered: the peregrine falcons nesting beneath the span.
PennDOT is coordinating with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to protect the nest — one of six recorded in Allegheny County — during the three-year project. Plans include keeping work at least 1,000 feet from the falcon box during nesting season and timing construction to minimize disruption.
Peregrine falcons once disappeared from Pennsylvania entirely, victims of environmental damage that pushed them to the brink of extinction. It took decades of conservation efforts for them to recover.
The Tarentum Bridge nest has produced 27 chicks since breeding began there, helped by a manmade nest box installed in 2015 and careful monitoring by volunteers like Harrison resident Dave Brooke.
Infrastructure improvements are necessary. So is protecting the wildlife that has learned to share those human structures.
PennDOT and the Game Commission deserve credit for making sure the falcons are part of the plan.
Lance: To pesky, pesty situations. OK, what’s with all the rats?
Rodents are a fact of life, especially in a region like Western Pennsylvania, crisscrossed with rivers and streams. Where there is water, there will be four-legged critters of all kinds.
But that reality is not new. Businesses have always had to contend with the world outside their doors.
There is rain, so we build roofs. It gets cold, so we install heat. And there are rats and mice and other pests, so precautions are taken to keep them out, remove them when they appear or secure products so they don’t gain access.
Yet two recent incidents have people questioning that vigilance.
An inspection forced the temporary closure of an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Greensburg after officials found rodent droppings and urine throughout parts of the store. The location has since reopened after cleanup and reinspection.
Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh’s South Side, a video circulating online showed a rat beneath the draft beer tap at Urban Tap. The bar says it worked with the Allegheny County Health Department and pest control services to address the issue and reinforce entry points.
These are by no means the only businesses to face pest problems. Health inspections regularly uncover issues. Most are handled quickly, and businesses reopen promptly — just as these have.
What made these different was visibility. A state shutdown notice or a viral video makes people pay attention.
Rodents may be inevitable. Letting them get comfortable where people eat and drink should not be.
