Traffic Being Bounced Off of Spring Street

Category: News || By

(If above video fails to load, go directly to the DailyMotion website.)

. . .

If Rod Serling were narrating this video, he might say, "This is an average working-class neighborhood in Allegheny County's second city. It's the home of Cornell Intermediate School, McKeesport Little Theater and Carnegie Library. But there's a signpost up ahead. We're about to make a right turn into ... the pothole zone."

It's Spring Street (technically, Spring Avenue) between Jenny Lind Street and Cornell Street, a shortcut between the Library District and the Third Ward which passes next to the old Tech High football field.

The street is named for the natural spring water that has been undermining the pavement for decades, causing the concrete slabs to sag and crack. Several years ago, the city put a five-ton weight limit on Spring Street, blocking fire trucks, buses and delivery trucks from making the bone-jarring trek.

. . .

Last week, on the recommendation of Senate Engineering, council voted 6-0, with Councilor Paul Shelly Jr. absent, to close Spring to all through traffic between High and Cornell streets.* (It remained open on Monday.)

Public Works Director Nick Shermenti says the storm sewers have completely failed and runoff is eroding the ground at least 18 inches beneath the center of the street. A 2006 estimate of reconstructing the road pegged the cost at between $750,000 and $1 million.

Former public works director and current Councilor Darryl Segina last week disputed those figures.

"Seven-hundred-fifty thousand dollars seems like a lot of money to lay in some plastic (sewer) pipe," he says. The estimate isn't realistic, Segina says.

. . .

"Even if it was half that amount, we just don't have the money," Mayor James Brewster says. "We're trying desperately to end up in the black this year, and we can't talk about paving other streets when we don't know where we're going to find the money."

McKeesport Area School District has been considering plans (currently on hold) to construct a new elementary school on the Cornell site and create an educational campus.

If the district moves ahead with those plans, Brewster and others have discussed vacating Spring Street altogether and possibly rerouting and extending High Street to serve the Cornell and Library area.

. . .

Until a solution is found, Spring Street will be closed. "We have to be cognizant of what we're doing," Brewster says. "Right now, we're letting people go up and down a street that could cause a fair amount of damage to their cars."

With Spring closed, all vehicles headed to MLT, Cornell and the library will have to travel via Shaw, Huey and Versailles avenues --- a slightly more circuitous but definitely smoother trip.

* see comments for clarification

Your Comments are Welcome!

Jason, FYI, I was not “Absent” from the meeting. i was stuck in traffic coming home from a job site in Upper St. Clair. I phoned the solicitor and tolkd him to pass the message to the City Clerk and Council President about my unavidable tardiness.

I don’t want folks to mistekenly have the opnion that I “missed” a meeting…..

“Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
-Mark Twain

Feel me?

I am AMAZED that the mayor has finally decided to do something with 13th St. and actually mentioned Spring St. in Public…

I guess the squeeky wheel does get the grease…

Both of these items were brought up months ago and covered in detail on www.paulshelly.com and topix.com.

If I were Mayor, I would focus a lot of attention to the areas nearest our downtown first! I would restroe Mckeesport from the inside out so as to best attract business to our downtown and new landowners up streets like Jenny Lind, Locust and Spring.

This strategy, along with my proposal to relocate all social service organization (ex. Mon Yough) to the Easterly end of 5th Avenue and my efforts to revitalize the People’s National Bank Building are all part of a major revitalization vision I have for downtown.

You REALLY need a “Search” feature on this site (it is free from Google.). I remember some outstanding and visionary writing you did concerning the People’s Building and would like to review that. In Lieu of the search capacity, could you list some links to those writings?

Thanks,

Councilman Shelly
Paul "Sluggo" Shelly Jr. (URL) - June 09, 2009

BTW, when is Spring sloated to be closed? I used it late this afternoon and saw no evidence of an upcoming closing.

Paul
Paul "Sluggo" Shelly Jr. (URL) - June 09, 2009

Councilor, my notes indicate that you arrived at 7:51 p.m., but the vote on Spring Street was taken some time before that, and was 6-0 in your absence. I’m happy to make the clarification, however.
Webmaster - June 09, 2009

jason,

your notes sound accurate.

i appreciate the clarification.

your investigative journalism and writing abilities have been getting rave reviews among my friends and supporters. many tell me that they read you daily now upon my suggestion.

still think you need a “search” feature…

paul
Paul "Sluggo" Shelly Jr. (URL) - June 10, 2009

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Absent
Cox's Jimmy - June 10, 2009

Jimmy, I could go for some absinthe right now, or at least a beer.
Webmaster - June 10, 2009

By the way, nobody even commented on the presence of the sleek, gray Mercury — also known as Tube City Almanac Mobile News Cruiser No. 1 — in that video.

The $800 in suspension work that McKeesport Auto Body did in January was well worth it just to get down Spring Street.
Webmaster - June 10, 2009

Yeah, but now you need the suspension work done again.
Dan - June 10, 2009

Nah, I got the heavy-duty springs and shocks. That mutha corners on two wheels now. They do nice work.

In fact, consider this a free plug — car trouble? McKeesport Auto Body in 10th Ward does collision, mechanical repairs and restoration.

Reasonable rates, high quality. Joe Bob says check it out.
Webmaster - June 10, 2009

Ah, very nice. I bet they come in handy when you are racing to get to a city council meeting….or maybe that’s away from a city council meeting. Seriously though, keep up the good work, I enjoy your site.
Dan - June 11, 2009

To comment on any story at Tube City Almanac, email tubecitytiger@gmail.com, send a tweet to www.twitter.com/tubecityonline, visit our Facebook page, or write to Tube City Almanac, P.O. Box 94, McKeesport, PA 15134.