PITTSBURGH — The first phase the Red Line replacement project in Beechview is scheduled to be completed by Thursday, and some business owners told Channel 11 News that it can’t come soon enough.
Heavy machinery, smoke and debris have been regular sights on Broadway Avenue since the $8.4 million project to replace the aging light rail track began between Neeld Avenue and Boustead Street, and between Fallowfield Avenue and the stairs that lead to Rutherford Avenue.
“I’m 20 to 30 percent behind,” restaurant owner Pete Wagner said. “They promised to work six days a week, 16 hours a day and to be done June 27th, phase 1.”
Wagner has placed signs outside his restaurant, pointing the finger at Pittsburgh city councilwoman Natalia Rudiak and Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph told Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE that the three-month timeline for the first phase was only an estimate, and the six-day, 16-hour-per-day work schedule was available to the project's contractor as an option, not as a requirement.
“They are out here working steady all day,” neighbor Rich Ingold said. “We want this thing done months ago, but it’s not their fault.”
Fitzgerald’s office told Channel 11 News it is a Port Authority project and has nothing to do with Fitzgerald.
Rudiak’s office released the following statement:
"The Port Authority and community were in negotiations about phasing and timing right up until construction began; according to the final contract, the track reconstruction project is currently on schedule. We look forward to the Port Authority finishing this project in late September, as promised."
When work on phase 1 is finished, the next phase will begin and is expected to last 60 days. It will shift work to the area between Boustead Street and the stairs connecting to Rutherford Avenue.