The long haul

More than 42,000 cars travel on the Boulevard of the Allies between Downtown and Oakland… More than 42,000 cars travel on the Boulevard of the Allies between Downtown and Oakland every day. But between now and December, many of those cars will be detoured to allow for reconstruction of the major artery.

At 9 a.m. yesterday, workers closed the eastbound lanes, and limited westbound traffic on the Boulevard to only one lane. The restrictions will remain in place until Dec. 21, the tentative completion date for the project.

The repairs, which include replacing the right outbound lane and reinforcing the slope near Duquesne University, are part of a preparatory project designed to ease the traffic problems that will be associated with the closing and rehabilitation of the Fort Pitt Tunnels, scheduled for 2002 and 2003.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation awarded Mascaro Construction the $10.8 million contract for the upgrades. After the outbound lane is replaced, the rocky slopes reinforced and a fence added to protect motorists from falling rock, the road will be repaved in the spring of 2002.

According to Chuck Baca, a construction coordinator for the project, most traffic will be diverted to Route 376. Though unable to provide preliminary indications of the project