Thompson Run Road Bridge Reopens

After 10 months, the Thompson Run Road Bridge just south of Amity Road reopened today.

But traffic may still back up for the next week or so. The Allegheny County Department of Public Works said there will be occasional single lane closures between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm as the contractor cleans up the site around the new bridge.

Residents have with the increased traffic along residential streets closest to the project.

“It’s been a series of unfortunate events,” said Douglas Aiken, Manager of Construction Engineering for the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. “Last fall, we had unprecedented rains, and when it rains, the water in that creek surges because of the runoff from Ross Park Mall. It’s a very tight area and the contractor has been flooded out many times.”

Ross Commissioner Grant Montgomery doesn’t mince words when describing his frustration.

“It’s been a nightmare. It started as a 60 to 90 day project and turned into a 12 month monstrosity,” he said. “We did our best to manage the process.”

Aiken concedes the project got a late start and the contractor, Pugliano Construction, was fined $3,500 a day for missing a May 15 completion date.

Allegheny County is managing the project, but Penndot is also involved because the state is paying for 80% of the bridge replacement.

“The contractor got a late start while waiting for the paperwork to come back from the state,” said Aiken.

Commissioner Montgomery said he was thrilled when he first heard the bridge was going to be replaced, but his enthusiasm has cooled.

“It’s been a blessing and a curse, a blessing that in this day and age there was actually money available for a bridge project, but a curse that’s taken so long. 

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