Canonsburg Lake Bridge expected to reopen in October
CANONSBURG – Construction on the Canonsburg Lake Bridge is expected to be completed next month, which is welcome news to nearby residents and businesses that have dealt with a lengthy detour for nearly a year.
While Washington County officials had hoped the work on the bridge would be finished at the end of this month, the contractor ran into “utility issues” earlier this week and now expects to wrap up the project in mid-October.
That would still be around the original target date of Oct. 13, although Pasquale Paliotta, operations manager for South Park-based Carmen Paliotta Contracting overseeing the project, said Wednesday it may now take until the third week of October to finish the bridge replacement project.
That section of McDowell Lane has been closed since Dec. 7 when crews began working to replace the narrow bridge over Canonsburg Lake with a wider span that will also include a sidewalk for pedestrians. The bridge’s closure has sent motorists on a lengthy 4.5-mile detour from Route 19 to McClelland Road, although some people have found a shorter cut-through into the Glencannon and Foxchase housing developments, adding to the amount of traffic through those neighborhoods.
Patricia Knapp, managing director of Little Lake Theatre Company, said she was “thrilled” to learn the bridge will be opening relatively soon, especially with their season in full swing in the fall. The theater, which is located near the bridge on the western edge of the lake, was closed earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened in May and has had productions ever since. While the detours haven’t hurt attendance, it has led to numerous phone calls from visitors asking about the best way to get to the theater, either from Interstate 79 or Route 19.
“They get nervous or confused, and then we have to talk them through it. So we can’t wait, and neither can our patrons,” Knapp said. “Honestly, our audiences have been so supportive.”
In addition, the posted detour of McClelland Road has been under construction at times in recent months.
“It’s been challenging,” Knapp said.
Some visitors have decided to dine at the nearby Mad Mex restaurant following shows, Knapp said, providing a boost to the restaurant overlooking Canonsburg Lake.
Gabby Repic, one of the managers at Mad Mex, said they’ve noticed an uptick in business when the playhouse is open, thanks to attendees and even actors coming in to eat after shows. Repic added people have become accustomed to the detour over the summer, but they’re happy the fast access to Route 19 will be available to customers.
“We are very much looking forward to it,” Repic said of the bridge reopening next month. “It hasn’t been bad, honestly. Sales have been up (this summer) and people are used to the detour. It really hasn’t impacted our business, at least over the summer.”
Lisa Cessna, the county’s planning director, said they had hoped the contractor would be able to finish the project at the beginning of September, but there were issues with manufacturing delays due to various shortages during the pandemic.
“It’s been back and forth,” Cessna said. “They’re changing their work schedule to be able to work and get it completed.”
The county commissioners awarded the $3.1 million construction bid to Carmen Paliotta Contracting, although the total project to replace the 75-year-old bridge was expected to cost about $5.19 million, county officials previously said.