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Artists Create Wall Of Memories Along Route 28

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Heavy machinery along Route 28 is giving way to artwork on the wall.

A bridge painting firm removed protective stencils and applied protective gray stain Thursday, following the sandblasting of an image of the old Carlin Foundry, which once stood nearby.

The foundry is just the first of six images that will be sandblasted into the wall. They range in width from 30 to 60 feet, and they'll be interspersed along a thousand feet of highway.

PennDOT District Executive Dan Cessna says the Route 28 art project is a pleasant change of pace.

"These images are a glimpse of some history that used to be in the area before the highway was, because there was quite a community established in that area previously," he said.

A centerpiece of that community was St. Nicholas Church, which was torn down to make way for widening of the highway.

Artist Laurie Lundquist's rendition is a blueprint for that memory, as well as others.

"As people would walk the walkway that we're going to construct there, they're actually going to be able to see the old spires of the church, and a very nice visual of the church," Cessna says. "We're also going to have a Troy Hill trolley car that's featured, and an image of the Avery College, so there's quite a significant glimpse of history that's going to be on six locations on this wall."

A word of caution: if you're driving, one quick glance is enough.

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