Canonsburg road construction project underway
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A section of North Central Avenue near Pitt Street in Canonsburg is under construction.
Courtesy of Krystal Allen
Residents of North Central Avenue in Canonsburg had trouble accessing the street from their driveways while the road was being reconstructed last week.
A major road reconstruction project in Canonsburg, which began just before the start of school, is expected to be completed in five weeks.
Pennsylvania American Water is reconstructing North Central Avenue and Ridge Avenue, between College Street and Stone Alley. The water company recently installed 3,000 feet of new main lines in that area, and has contracted Peter J. Caruso & Sons to reconstruct the road for $600,000.
Dan McMillen, Caruso & Sons’ project manager, said the four-phase project is currently in phase two, with possibly five weeks left, depending on the weather. He said they are digging up about 15 inches of the road and putting down a gravel sub-base, followed by asphalt.
State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Valerie Petersen said that once the contractors are finished, PennDOT will put down the “final wearing course” on the state road.
McMillen said the first phase was between College and Pitt streets, near the middle school. It was completed Aug. 31, before school began Sept. 4.
“They wanted me to get that done before school started, which I did,” he said.
The first phase of the project brought a surprise for some residents, who were unable to get in or out of their driveways because of how deep the cut in the road was.
“I woke up on Aug. 27 with the road dug up on one side, and I couldn’t get out of my driveway,” said Krystal Allen, a North Central Avenue resident. “I ended up having to miss work that day.”
Allen said Canonsburg Police Department sent a letter to residents informing them they wouldn’t be able to park on the street during the project. The letter stated the road would be open to local traffic, so she assumed she’d still be able to access the street from her driveway.
“I wish there was better communication on the whole thing,” she said. “That way I could have found somewhere to put my car.”
Police Chief Alex Coghill said the depth of the cut in the road was “unanticipated.”
“I don’t think anybody realized how far they would be digging down,” he said. “When phase two began, we notified residents that they may have trouble getting in and out of their driveways.”
The police department has been updating residents on the status of the project on its Facebook page.
“It’s a major undertaking, and there’s just no getting around it,” Coghill said. “It has to be done. We haven’t seen any major traffic problems, and the detours are well marked.”
McMillen said it’s not uncommon to hear complaints from residents on a major project like this.
“This is a pretty ugly thing to do, with a lot of residents with on-street parking,” he said. “It’s a difficult situation, but how else do you do it? You want us to get this done as quick as possible.”
Phase two of the project, between Pitt and Chestnut streets, began Sept. 4, McMillen said, and is expected to be completed next week. He said each phase consists of about six days of digging and placing the sub-base, followed by two days of paving.
Phase three, from Chestnut to North Street, is anticipated to begin Sept. 17, followed by phase four, from North Street to Stone Alley.
“Phase four has the longest detour, but it won’t take as long to complete,” McMillen said.