Falls Road Construction Approaching End

The worst of the road construction along Falls Road near Mount Washington is over.

Representatives of several city agencies met Tuesday night with residents and business owners at the Mount Washington School to update them on the project. The Department of Public Works (DPW) has been replacing water mains between Northern Parkway and the city-county line since October.

The construction has delayed traffic and made it difficult for customers to get to local businesses.

“We’re passed the point of really impacting traffic,” said Jonathan Scott, a DPW project manager.

The last phase of construction for the project involves installing six “tie-ins” that connect the water mains. "Tie-ins" have to be installed between Northern Parkway and the city-county line. 

The city anticipates beginning work on the “tie-ins” at Northern Parkway and Falls Road on Sunday. That will result in some lane closures and narrowing but the road will remain open. Work is expected to last until about March 20.  

DPW anticipates finishing its portion of the project by June 12. But the Department of Transportation (DOT) will have to come back and finish paving the road. Currently, DOT is planning to repave Falls Road between 41st Street and city-county line during three phases this summer.

DOT representatives said they anticipate finishing the project to the county line during the “paving season.” Asphalt can be laid as long as temperatures consistently remain above 40 degrees.

Following the meeting, residents said they understood the work needed to be done and were generally happy about the communication from DPW about the project.

Eddie Dopkin said the process has been a long one and that it became more noticeable once work encroached upon the narrow section of Falls Road near Smith and Kelly avenues. He said, overall, the city has done a good job.

Dopkin, owner of Cold Spring Lane restaurants such as , said he has avoided the construction when leaving from and returning to his Mount Washington home.

“You really can learn to deal with it. In this particular place I'm glad I’m a resident and not a business,” Dopkin said.

Mac Nachlas, also a Mount Washington resident, said the communication between the city and residents has been effective and that contractors have performed well on the difficult project.

He said he wishes the city would repave the sidewalks and make Falls Road more pedestrian friendly at the same time as the road repaving so the community doesn’t have to campaign for the city to come back and do that as well.

"I can’t complain about the sewer work itself. They told us what was happening and it’s happening pretty much the way the said," Nachlas said.

Lucien Walsh, owner of the , said the construction has had an impact on businesses in the area. He said all the merchants have discussed it and that their numbers show a drop in business.

Walsh said he understood the project has to get done, that the city is working as quickly as possible and that traffic will return to normal once work near Smith Avenue is complete.

“My concern is that—for some of us—that we may have lost people for good; because they’ve been so frustrated for so long that they’ve simply changed shopping habits and eliminated us completely from their routine,” Walsh said.  

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