Brick roads lead to sense of character

BRICKS, FROM LX-1

In Mt. Lebanon, a community where 76 of its approximately 300 streets are made of brick, most residents say they think they add to the charm and character of their neighborhoods.

That was the finding of a survey conducted by four graduate students from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, who made a virtual presentation to the Mt. Lebanon Board of Commissioners at a Dec. 8 meeting.

The team, which logged 800 hours of work compiling and analyzing data on Mt. Lebanon’s brick streets, was led by Anna Siefken, a Mt. Lebanon resident and former chair of the municipality’s historic preservation board and a leader with the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at CMU.

The team, which consisted of project manager Yunxi “Luna” Hu, Rachel Bukowitz, Shunyu “Charlotte” Rao and Eric Shiring, asked residents what they thought about brick streets. They received nearly 1,600 responses.

Of those who responded, 82% said they would be willing to pay for the restoration of Mt. Lebanon’s brick streets, and 96% said brick streets contribute to the charm of the neighborhood. About 60% of those surveyed stated that brick streets contribute to safety and traffic calming because one can more clearly hear a car coming on a brick street.

Ms. Hu said, “We believe historical streets can be protected in a financially viable way” and that the team’s financial analysis shows that the cost of maintaining brick streets is manageable.

In a 100-year period, an asphalt street would need to be resurfaced every 20 years, as well as maintained with rejuvenation and crack repair, Ms. Hu said. A brick street would need less maintenance over that same time. It could save about $200,000 over its lifetime compared to maintaining an asphalt street.

“Brick streets may have a higher unit cost but have a longer life expectancy and need less maintenance,” Ms. Hu said.

The students also said brick streets can contribute to environmental sustainability as their grooved nature; help mitigate some stormwater runoff.

The team came away with three recommendations for the commission: fund a brick street program with a modular

multiyear planning strategy; have the historic preservation board draw up a policy for the streets; and that the streets be evaluated with more appropriate tools than what are currently being used from entities like PennDOT.

“We deeply appreciate this extensive work that you have all put in,” said Commissioner Mindy Ranney, who also serves as the liaison for the historic preservation board. She said that board intends to “pick up the pace” on developing a policy in 2021.