By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor

EAST DEUTSCHTOWN AND SPRING GARDEN — The second and final phase of a project to renovate Chestnut Street with new bricks began on Feb. 12 and will run through early-to-mid August.

The Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) is overseeing the replacement of the street’s bricks with new ones, as well as evening out the road and improving drainage, among other repairs. The project, however, is also seeing the street’s historic streetcar rails, one of the few remaining artifacts from back when streetcars dominated the streets of the city, removed, eventually to be repurposed for an art installation.

The first phase of the rehabilitation began on Sept. 25, and fixed up roughly one-third of the street. At first DOMI was unsure whether the project would involve two or three phases, as the timeline was dependent on funding from the city. If the project received insufficient funding in 2024, DOMI would have only repaired another third during the year, and finish the work in 2025.

Fortunately, the project has received enough funding to complete the project this year. According to Michael Panzitta, DOMI project manager for the rehabilitation, $909,593.90 of bond funds were allocated to the project in the 2024 Capital Budget.

Check out the March edition of The Northside Chronicle for the full story.