Sewickley officials approve contractors for pair of major restoration projects
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Two major renovation projects in Sewickley are expected to begin within the next few weeks now that council has approved the contracts.
Allison Park Contractors’ $350,000 bid for the first phase of the Crescent Avenue restoration project was awarded at council’s Sept. 13 meeting.
Borough engineer Mike Galet said they were the lowest of two bidders and did quality work in the borough years ago.
Phase one of the two-phase project involves roadway and shoulder stabilization via soil nailing, as well as excavation.
Soil nailing was described as a construction measure to treat unstable slopes by inserting rebar into pre-drilled holes and then grouting them into place.
Galet said it’s an alternative to a retaining wall, which was discussed in May as a possible solution to the road problem. That suggestion was expected to cost about $500,000 and drain the borough’s paving budget for this year.
Galet said Crescent Avenue is not an emergency repair project, but one that needs done sooner rather than later.
“It’s safe to drive on,” Galet said. “It’s going to be a long-term maintenance issue we’re trying to repair. It’s not up to standard, and if we pushed this project off a couple years it’s going to continue to degrade.”
Two homes along Crescent Avenue are slated to be demolished in October. The project would begin afterward and take a couple months to complete.
The second phase of the restoration involves road resurfacing and fixing stormwater drainage issues.
Council in July approved seeking a $3 million state grant through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Multimodal Transportation Fund to help pay for it. Total avenue repair costs have not been finalized.
Galet said he hopes to get a response to the grant application by the end of the year.
Mayor George Shannon said the borough owes it to residents along the avenue to get the work done.
“That’s a problem that’s existed for many years,” Shannon said. “We have a responsibility to address that for people that own property there. It’s expensive, no question. But at some point in time you have to address it and get it taken care of.
“The people up there pay taxes, and they expect us to take care of their problems. That is what we’re proposing to do, and we’re going to do it.”
A second project
The second project council approved this month is a pilot program to fix between 5- to 10-foot sections of sidewalk in 24 locations throughout the borough.
About two slabs in each area have been uprooted by trees planted by the borough and need to be replaced.
Council awarded a $141,625 contract to N&N Landscaping of Edgeworth. Tree cutting and clearing is also part of the project. Galet said they, too, were the lowest of two bidders.
He projected construction to begin at the end of October and be completed before the end of the year.
Both companies awarded projects were vetted and recommended by Galet’s firm, Gateway Engineers.
“We wouldn’t recommend awarding a project to a contractor that wouldn’t be able to do a satisfactory job,” Galet said. “They both provided their qualifications, as well as their past project experiences. We verified them and think they’re satisfactory.”
Shannon sees the sidewalk program as just the beginning of a bigger pedestrian safety effort.
“The borough has planted trees in front of houses in those islands for years,” the mayor said. “Those trees have grown and uprooted sidewalks. We have an ordinance that says every (property) owner in Sewickley is responsible for their sidewalks.
“We’ve accepted the position that because the borough planted those trees, we will accept responsibility to fix those sidewalks. That’s what we’re proposing to do. I think it will go much beyond that in the future because sidewalk repair in Sewickley is very critical. People could get hurt and they need to be fixed.
“In time, we’re going to ask residents to do the same thing so you can walk around Sewickley safely and it’s much more appealing to the eye. It’s a safety issue for the most part.
“We have a responsibility. The owners have a responsibility. We’re going to take care of our responsibility and we’re going to expect the owners to take care of theirs.”