A section of Route 356 in Allegheny Township that is used by about 10,000 motorists daily will be closed for nearly seven weeks as a $15.9 million project continues along the state road.
“This will be a pain, but to fix a major highway like this you have to be patient,” Allegheny Township Supervisor Ren Steele said.
PennDOT said it plans to close the road between Pleasant Hill Road and the northwest intersection of Routes 356 and 56 from July 19 through Sept. 3.
PennDOT District 12 spokesman Jay Ofsanik said the posted detour route for vehicles under 10 tons will be about 3 miles long, using Pleasant Hill Road, Leechburg Road and Leechburg Hill Road. A separate, longer detour route will be in place for vehicles over 10 tons.
Dawn Skwirut, an agent with Universal Truckload Inc. who manages a fleet of about 20 independently operated flatbed trucks that haul steel goods throughout the Pittsburgh region, said the closure will be a headache.
“Route 356 is a truck route to Route 28 and into the city, and my drivers will experience an increase in costs because of the alternate routes and the price of fuel right now,” Skwirut said.
“I don’t think I’ll lose business, but there’s nothing I can do and I can’t control or stop it,” Skwirut said.
Marushka Steele of the Freeport Theatre Festival on White Cloud Road said she has noticed increased traffic on White Cloud since the Route 356 project began last year — and an increase in motorists speeding.
“The safety of people must come first, and I certainly hope PennDOT lowers the speed limit from 35 (mph) to 25,” she said.
The larger project to widen, reconfigure and realign sections of Route 356 is expected to be completed next year.
