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Route 837 Work Begins, With More to Come
By Jason Togyer
The Tube City Almanac
March 27, 2018
Posted in: Duquesne News
Crews from Gulisek Construction of Mt. Pleasant Twp. begin repairs on Route 837 in Duquesne. Work also will begin soon on the ramp leading to the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge from Dravosburg. (Photo special to Tube City Almanac)
Rainy weather hasn't deterred construction crews from beginning work on a pothole-strewn section of Route 837 near Kennywood Park.
And more work is planned on Route 837 near the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge, with a ramp expected to close in April.
Steve Cowan, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said Gulisek Construction of Mt. Pleasant Twp., Westmoreland County, was awarded a $7.08 million contract to repair concrete, replacing curbs, and upgrading signage, traffic signals and drainage.
Lane restrictions began on Monday between North Second Street in Duquesne and Hoffman Boulevard in West Mifflin. The work will eventually continue from Hoffman Boulevard to the Rankin Bridge in Whitaker.
The repairs were planned before the 2.5-mile stretch of Route 837 sprouted a bumper crop of deep potholes, but Cowan said area roads took a beating this winter.
"It has been an extremely difficult winter season," Cowan said. "Not only did we have snow, we've had major floods, landslides and a lot of precipitation. It's a very rough year for potholes --- a lot more than in the recent past."
Asphalt plants are re-opening for the season, he said, which means that road crews can now begin using hot asphalt instead of so-called "cold patch" to fill holes.
"The problem with cold patch is that when you have heavy precipitation, followed by cold weather, it can pop back out," Cowan said. If motorists find potholes on a state maintained road, he said, they should call 5-1-1 to report them, or visit PennDOT's website and click on the "Customer Care" section.
The repairs to Route 837 are not a complete reconstruction of the road, Cowan said.
The overall project is anticipated to conclude in late December, and work will continue, weather permitting, in both daytime and overnight hours, and on weekends, he said. More details will be released this summer.
There are currently no plans yet to repair the section of Route 837 between North Second Street and the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge, Cowan said.
However, work is scheduled to begin in April on the reconstruction of the ramp that connects northbound Route 837 --- the lane traveling from Dravosburg towards Duquesne --- to the bridge.
Mosites Construction of Robinson Twp. has been awarded a $2.42 million contract to replace expansion joints, repair the piers, improve the drainage and put a protective epoxy coating on the road surface, Cowan said.
The work will require the ramp to close from late April until November, he said.
A temporary U-turn connection will be constructed at the junction of Route 837 and Center Street in Duquesne to allow northbound traffic to get to the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge, Cowan said.
(Photo special to Tube City Almanac)
Originally published March 27, 2018.
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