Sewer Project To Tie Up Strip District Parking, Traffic
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Finding a parking space can be a be a difficult proposition in the Strip District; and starting on Tuesday, it's going to be an even tougher one.
A sewer project will eliminate all of the parking spaces along Smallman Street from 16th to 21st Streets.
"The businesses, I believe, are going feel it. They're going to hope for the best, and make the best of it," said Ed Wells, of PPG Parking.
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is retiring the old, combined sewer line underneath the Terminal Building and laying new, separated storm and sanitary sewer lines that will keep raw sewage from pouring into the Allegheny River.
However, to make way for the construction crews, PWSA will narrow traffic to single lanes and erect barriers to prevent parking.
"I would say leave a little early and plan to walk a slight bit further with your packages when your shopping," said Wells.
Brenda Waters' Report:
At De Fer Coffee, owner Matthew Marietti grinds the espresso beans fresh and hopes his customers make the extra effort to get a cup.
"If it's necessary work that needs to be done, let's get on with it and move on," he said.
PWSA says the project will take at least eight months, with January set as a completion date, but soon afterward, work should begin on converting the Terminal Building into a food, entertainment and arts destination. That project calls for a new street-face that will also tie up parking and traffic for at least another year.
It's going to be long-term headache for both the merchants and the shoppers, but in the long run, these businesses along Smallman Street believe it will be worth it.
