SHARPSBURG, Pa. — On Tuesday, PennDOT’s District 11 began work on Main Street (Route 1001) in Sharpsburg Borough, Allegheny County. The long-term project will close traffic between Sixth Street and Eighth Street continuously through Wednesday, March 30, as crews will conduct sanitary sewer installation, storm sewer installation and roadway reconstruction work.
The road closure, along with parking restrictions and detours, are already impacting businesses and community members.
“These people need to make a living, and they can’t do it,” said Ilene Nadzam, a customer of Brother Tom’s Bakery.
Once a week Nadzam ate lunch at Brother Tom’s Bakery, but that was before the construction.
“This has not been four weeks, maybe whatever construction that is going on in that block, but crews were right out here for months,” said Nadzam as she explained that this latest PennDOT project is just the latest road improvement to impact parking.
That’s business owners like Tom Hartman’s biggest fear, that the unpredictability of the road work may begin to drive customers in the opposite direction.
“In the summer, we got a letter (from the borough) that they were going to replace all the sidewalks — they got a grant,” said Hartman.
But Hartman said that was the last notice he received, and the road work hasn’t stopped since.
“We received no notification about the road closing. We read like everyone else the signs out there,” said Hartman.
The signs, which read “road closed,” “detour” and “no parking,” are already having an impact on bus riders who now must catch PennDOT shuttles to nearby stops.
“Where do they find out about the shuttle buses? The signs on the polls just say these stops don’t exist,” asked Hartman.
Adding difficulties for employees like Hunter Johnston, who works at D&B Collectibles, “Even us as employees, we have to go find parking on side streets and then walk to the store,” said Johnston.
This also applies, of course, to small business owners who’ve already struggled so much during these past two years.
“I’m not against the improvements, I grew up in Sharpsburg,” said Hartman. “(But) right now it’s bad financially.”
The work is a part of a $3.8 million drainage improvement project.
Port Authority of Allegheny County buses will not be permitted to take the car detour on Main Street. Here is the complete list of stops inbound and outbound along Main Street that will be discontinued during the project.
PennDOT’s Posted Car Detours:
West of the Closure:
- From Main Street, turn left onto Sixth Street.
- Turn right onto Clay Street.
- Turn right onto Eighth Street.
- Follow Eighth Street back to Main Street.
- End detour.
East of the Closure:
- From Main Street, turn right onto Eighth Street.
- Turn left onto Clay Street.
- Turn left onto Garnier Street.
- Follow Garnier Street back to Main Street.
- End detour.
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