Morning Roundup: Allegheny County hosting online meeting for 4 upcoming bridge projects

The Allegheny County Department of Public Works is playing host to an online meeting March 22 to discus plans to restore four bridges.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. using the Microsoft Teams video conferencing app.

The projects up for discussion are the restoration of:

• Ivory Avenue Bridge No. 1, which carries Ivory Avenue over McKnight Road (Route 19) in Pittsburgh.

• Hillcrest Bridge, which carries Bethel Church Road over Pittsburgh Regional Transit light rail (Silver Line) tracks in Bethel Park.

• Jacks Run Bridge No. 3, which carries Jacks Run Road over the Parkway North (I-279) in Ross.

• Bellevue Road Bridge, which carries Bellevue Road over the Parkway North (I-279) in Ross.

Preliminary construction and traffic control plans will be unveiled and public input will be gathered.

Representatives from Allegheny County and its design consultant, Fisher Associates, will be answering questions and addressing concerns about the bridge work.

The projects are expected to be bid in 2025, and construction on the bridges is expected to occur in 2026.

Register for the meeting is being handled online.

Former Penn Hills man indicted in teen ‘sextortion’ scheme

A former Penn Hills man accused of running a child sex abuse scheme that involved using Snapchat to threaten teenage girls into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

The seven-count indictment returned on March 7 named Kaung Myat Kyaw, 23, as the sole defendant in the federal investigation that was launched in November 2021.

Kyaw was charged with coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor and distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced.

Investigators traced social media accounts and phishing scripts used in the alleged scheme to an IP address based at Kyaw’s Penn Hills residence on Jefferson Road.

Kyaw is accused of using social media to try to coerce young girls into sending him nude and sexually explicit images and videos. He also allegedly hacked into their accounts and threatened to post explicit material online or share with their contacts, according to a criminal complaint.

The victims included young girls from across the country — including 16-year-old girls from suburban Pittsburgh and Fairfax County, Va., and a 15-year-old girl near Rochester, N.Y.

Lane shifts on Plum road start Monday for bridge replacement

Traffic lanes will be shifted along a section of Greensburg Road in Plum starting at 9 a.m. Monday for work to replace a bridge over Pucketa Creek, Allegheny County public works officials announced.

The change in traffic patterns will occur near Lincoln Beach Drive and is expected to be in place until December.

The work to replace Pucketa Creek Bridge No. 5, which carries Lincoln Beach Drive over the creek, includes includes new pavement, curb, drainage structures, guide rail, pavement markings and signs.

The bridge is co-owned by Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

During the project, traffic in both lanes on Greensburg Road will be maintained but moved, and lane widths will be reduced.

A temporary bridge over Pucketa Creek will be built to maintain Lincoln Beach Drive traffic between Plum and Upper Burrell.

The $1 million project will be done by Pugliano Construction of Plum.

Route 837 reopened after boulder removed

Route 837 in Jefferson Hills reopened Thursday afternoon after a boulder fell onto the roadway two days yearlier.

The road was shut to traffic between Route 51 in Jefferson Hills and St. Clair Avenue in Clairton.

PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said the road opened to motorists around 4:30 p.m.