Buses to join traffic around closed Canonsburg bridge
When classes start Monday, getting to South Central Elementary School in Canonsburg will be tougher than usual.
With the bridge on South Central Avenue in Canonsburg closed, the heavy work begins by Beech Construction Inc. with 27-foot-deep holes for pylons being dug and filled with concrete prior to the dismantling of the bridge. The project is expected to be completed by November.
Drivers traveling in the area of the closed bridge on South Central Avenue in Canonsburg should be aware that they will soon be joined by school buses.
School starts Monday for students in Canon-McMillan School District. Many buses going to and from the high school as well as Canonsburg Middle School also will be detoured around the South Central Avenue bridge, which closed last month.
The 82-year-old span that crosses Chartiers Creek is being demolished and replaced with a steel, multigirder bridge. Beech Construction Inc. is the contractor for the state Department of Transportation.
While the posted detour instructs drivers to take Route 980 to Route 519 to Pike Street in Houston, many of the locals use the side streets.
Canonsburg police Chief Alex Coghill said his department is prepared for the buses that will be rerouted down Strabane Avenue to Pike and on Jefferson Avenue to Pike.
“I expect there may be some growing pains at first,” Coghill said. “I expect there will be a lot of congestion in those areas around the times of school arrival and dismissal, so drivers may want to avoid the area at those times.
“Officers will be posted at the major intersections to keep traffic moving,” he added. “If there are any problems, they will be resolved quickly. We work well with the school district.”
Coghill said if there are issues, a notice will be posted on the department’s Facebook page to alert residents and drivers.
Archer Street, which was a one-way between Jefferson and Central, has been temporarily made two-way, Coghill said.
“That is working out well,” the chief said. “We’ve not really had any problems.”
Jeff Corazzi, PennDOT’s manager for the project, said they are working with Verizon and West Penn Power to move utility lines so excavation work can be completed and the bridge can be demolished. Work on the project is slated to be done in mid-November.