URA and PennDOT to rehab two railroad overpasses in Deutschtown

Kelly Thomas
03/16/10

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A drawing of what the renovated Anderson Street Underpass will look like.  Image courtesy the URA.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority plans to transform two eyesores at key Northside entry points into pleasing and pedestrian friendly gateways.

Norfolk Southern’s railroad bridges over Sandusky and Anderson streets are rusty, industrial-looking structures through which water drips incessantly to the poorly-lit sidewalks below.

With help from Norfolk, the city, PennDOT, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and the URA though, the revamped underpasses will soon welcome pedestrians and motorists into Historic Deutschtown rather than make them cringe while they dodge dripping water on their way through.

The project will likely go to bid in May according to URA spokeswoman Megan Stearman. PennDOT will provide financing, and the architect is Wilbur Smith.

Improvements to the bridges include painting, installation of better lighting and sidewalk canopies to prevent dripping water. Stearman said they will renovate the bridges to match the architectural style of Historic Deutschtown.

Stearman was uncertain of the project’s timeline but said the URA was waiting to hear back from PennDOT before they moved ahead.

She added that the renovations have been in the works since the development of the North Shore, and that the Northside Leadership Conference was a driving factor in making it happen.

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