New water plant breaks into flow of South Side
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Construction workers pour cement for the walls of a new pump station being constructed for Pennsylvania American Water along East Carson Street at Becks Run Road. -
The project includes replacing this 116-year-old pump station.
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It is the least visible but arguably most important transportation corridor in a part of town that has a congested intersection, two freight rail lines and a biking and walking trail.
The roar of construction has made it noticeable for the time being, after which it will become mostly invisible again for 100 years or so.
A $101 million project is under way near the South Side intersection of East Carson Street and Becks Run Road to rebuild one of the gateways of a water distribution system that serves about a half-million Western Pennsylvanians.
Pennsylvania American Water is replacing its water intake on the Monongahela River, which draws up to 60 million gallons per day, along with a 117-year-old pump station, 3,000 feet of underground pipe and the Hays Mine Water Treatment Plant.
Construction workers have opened a 40-foot-deep trench at the river's edge to build two new intake pipes and bore two tunnels under Carson Street to a new pump station that is being constructed next to the fading beige and brown brick structure erected in 1894 by the old St. Clair Water Co.
From there, the contractor, Kokosing Construction Co. of Westerville, Ohio, will replace 3,000 feet of 42-inch underground main along Becks Run Road leading toward the treatment plant at Becks Run and Agnew Road.
In addition to the new treatment plant, the company is building two 2.25 million-gallon storage tanks and a new pump station along Becks Run not far from the plant.
"We're doing every type of construction I can think of," said Jay R. Lucas, the project manager. "These projects don't come along very often."
Starting next month, the water main construction will cause a lane closure on Becks Run Road between Carson and Bajo Street, leaving one lane of traffic in both directions into the fall.
The project already has caused weekday closure of a section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, from the area of the Steelers practice facility to the dead end near the Glenwood Bridge, expected to continue into summer.
First Published April 18, 2011 12:00 am
