Homeville span in West Mifflin to close
Crews rehabilitating 60-year-old viaduct
A major reconstruction project on the Homeville Viaduct in West Mifflin is scheduled to begin early next month, with the bridge expected to close for more than a year starting Aug. 10.
The $10.1 million project calls for reconstructing the bridge deck and sidewalk; steel repairs; replacement of bearings, expansion dams and lighting; and giving the rusty span a fresh coat of blue paint. It will widen the road surface by 3 feet, to 29 feet, said Michael Dillon, deputy engineering director for Allegheny County.
The viaduct, built in 1955 and rehabilitated in 1981, carries about 10,000 vehicles on a typical day. Drivers will be detoured via Commonwealth Avenue and Homestead-Duquesne Road. The closure also will affect Port Authority and school bus riders, and the sidewalk will be closed for the duration of the work, which is scheduled to be completed in October 2016.
Mr. Dillon said the bridge was too narrow to consider keeping a lane of traffic open during construction.
Port Authority as of Tuesday had not determined a detour for buses on the 52L Homeville Limited, the only route that crosses the bridge, spokeswoman Breen Masciotra said. The route has eight weekday inbound and outbound trips.
West Mifflin Area School District has adjusted its bus routes, superintendent Daniel Castagna said.
“We spent a lot of time on this. We believe we have it down to
about a five-minute difference,” he said. “I thought it would be much worse.”
The 779-foot-long bridge crosses Union Railroad tracks, Thompson Run, Lower Bull Run Road and Grant Avenue Extension.
It is rated structurally deficient because its superstructure and substructure are in poor condition, earning a grade of 4 on Penn DOT’s 9-point rating scale. The grade means “deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced.”