Section of Allegheny County road to close for months for construction

RESERVE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A small stretch of county roadway is expected to cause big impacts when it closes for months.

Allegheny County’s Department of Public Works announced Monday that Mt. Troy Road in Reserve Township will shut down on March 4 from 3217 Mt. Troy Road to Gardenview Drive. It’s expected to reopen in June. The section of roadway is due for a new retaining wall and guide rail, along with milling and paving work, utility work, and drainage improvements, according to the county.

“We understand it has to be done and we’ll make due,” said Jan Kowalski, Township Manager for Reserve Township, though she told Channel 11 that several residents have expressed concerns.

“I call it ‘the land of you can’t get there from here,’ because there are only two main arteries that go through - Spring Garden Road and Mt Troy - and they’re both county roads, and if one is closed it creates a real hardship.”

Commuters, bus riders, emergency responders, and school children will all be faced with detours.

Reserve’s Fire Chief Dave Moore told Channel 11 that he and the other emergency agencies asked the county to keep one lane open for emergencies, but they were ultimately told that the construction work wouldn’t allow for that. Moore said that the department is changing their alarm assignments and zones to ensure a large response from outside companies in the instance of a fire call.

Dr. Sean Aiken, Shaler Area School District Superintendent, told Channel 11 that the district is working with its “transportation company on alternative transportation routes and bus stops” and will be in communication with families later this week.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit is also temporarily discontinuing a whopping 38 bus stops. They can be viewed here.

Kowalski told Channel 11 that some Reserve residents really rely on the bus system.

She has further been in contact with the township’s waste haulers to prepare for potential changes.

There are several businesses along Mt. Troy Road, including Brenckle’s Greenhouses. Co-owner Greg Brenckle told Channel 11 it’s “just another obstacle” business owners face, but he hopes that customers will still “find their way” to the family-run business.

Residents who live within the closure area will have access to their homes at all times, according to the county.

The county has provided this detour information:

Regular northbound vehicle traffic will be detoured during the project using Rialto Street, Ley Street, Lowrie Street, Troy Hill Road, Vinial Street, Spring Garden Avenue, and Spring Garden Road. Regular southbound vehicle traffic will be detoured using Spring Garden Road, Spring Garden Avenue, Vinial Street, Troy Hill Road, Lowrie Street, Ley Street, Rialto Street, and Pittview Avenue.

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