Part of Old Freeport Road in O'Hara to close through November for bridge work

A short bridge that sits near the post office along Old Freeport Road in O’Hara is scheduled to close Aug. 22 for reconstruction for up to three months.

Motorists will be detoured away from the 1300 block of Old Freeport Road while work on Squaw Run Bridge No. 7 is underway, Allegheny County Public Works announced.

Work is expected to last through November.

Traffic will be detoured using Freeport Road, which connects with Old Freeport Road on both ends.

Nearly 3,000 vehicles a day use the bridge to access the post office, marina or one of several restaurants.

“The purpose of this project is to prevent and delay deterioration and extend the bridge’s useful life,” said Brent Wasko, public works information officer.

The project will be done by Pugliano Construction and will include paving, guardrails and signs.

It is part of a $1.7 million capital bridges contract.

Wasko said the bridge was last inspected in June 2021 and was rated in “fair” condition.

“This is a preservation-type project and not a full replacement,” he said.

Crews will be replacing the asphalt surface and membrane waterproofing from the deck and approach slabs. They also will be making concrete and box beam repairs, grouting and sealing joints and applying a protective coating to its concrete surfaces.

The bridge, built in 1991, is about 21 feet long and made of pre-stressed concrete. It carries traffic over Little Squaw Run.

While nearby places have had the word “squaw” removed because it is recognized as a slur against Native American women, the waterway retains its name while the federal government goes through the lengthy process of changing it.

O’Hara changed the name of a park in 2020, and Fox Chapel changed the names of two roads in 2021. While the municipalities made the name changes with a council vote, the process of changing the name of a tributary is more complex, involving multiple government agencies.