Route 51-Maytide Back Open After Suspicious Package Found

The road reopened at around 11:30 a.m.

Route 51 in Pittsburgh's Overbrook neighborhood—near the Maytide Street intersection—is back open after police closed down the state road at around 10:40 a.m. on Thursday due to a suspicious package found there, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The device was described as a small transformer with copper wiring around the top "which most likely alarmed people," Pittsburgh Bureau of Police spokeswoman Diane Richard told the paper. The road reopened at around 11:30 a.m. Our newsletter subscribers received this story first.   Follow Dormont-Brookline Patch on Facebook and Twitter. For more news, sign up for our email Newsletter.

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TAKE SURVEY: CMU Students Look at Route 51 Bus Stops

Responses needed to hear concerns and preferences.

Do you catch a bus from Route 51, or travel frequently in that area, to and from Brookline? With your help, travel in that area could become a bit easier. Students from Carnegie Mellon University's Master of Urban Design program are partnering with representatives of Economic Development South (EDS) this spring to improve bus stops on Route 51 and enhance the accessibility of neighborhoods along that corridor, according to an EDS news release. To get the project under way, the students have designed a short online survey to hear concerns and preferences from area residents and commuters. The survey (available here) is anonymous and takes about five minutes. EDS is a nonprofit community development corporation serving Brentwood, Whitehall …

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Road Work Could Affect Route 51 in Brookline

The work will run from the West End Bridge to Curry Hollow Road, through Jan. 25.

More Pothole Patching on Route 51

The work will run from the West End Bridge to Curry Hollow Road.

For the second time in a month, crews from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 11-0 will cause temporary lane closures and restrictions for pothole patching across a large part of Route 51. The patching, which will run from the West End Bridge to Curry Hollow Road, will last from Monday to Friday, Jan. 7 to 11, at the least. That is an approximately 8.7-mile stretch. The work will occur in various locations across the busy state road, possibly hitting the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of West End, Duquesne Heights, Beechview, Mount Washington, Beltzhoover, Bon Air, Brookline, Carrick and/or Overbrook, and/or the boroughs of Whitehall, Brentwood and/or Baldwin. Motorists are advised to use caution, slow down and expect …

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Part of Crane Avenue to Close Tuesday

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that part of the busy Beechview road will be closed temporarily.

If you're heading to work through Beechview early Tuesday morning, you'll likely miss this bit of roadwork. Later in the day though, you might want to find an alternate route. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that part of Crane Avenue, between Dagmar Street and Route 51, will be closed between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The entrance to Brashear High School sits on this portion of Crane Avenue. During this time, Pittsburgh Public Works will be removing brush and debris. For the Post-Gazette article, click here. Follow Dormont-Brookline Patch on Facebook and Twitter. For more news, sign up for our email Newsletter.

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Mixed Reactions as 51-88 Plans Revealed

Jughandle will eliminate left turns. Some residents want more done to curtail flooding.

Apparently, $15-$20 million will only get you so far. A large intersection improvement project coming to the Route 51-Route 88 junction with that price tag will accomplish a lot of things—a left turning lane onto Stewart Avenue, a jughandle around Rite Aid, and more—but, as Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 11 Executive Dan Cessna said, "This is not a flood improvement project." Make no mistake, though: Cessna and Rosanne Rodgers—project manager for PennDOT contractor SAI Consulting Engineers—made it clear at a public meeting on Wednesday that their project will take some steps to lessen the possibility of flooding at the popular intersection. For example, the infrastructure of existing bridges will be improved and, in …

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Route 51/88 Intersection Closed for Flooding

Part of Route 51 has been closed due to flooding.

Route 51 at the intersection with Route 88 in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, is currently closed due to flooding, according to a PennDOT report. Route 51 is closed in both directions between Maytide and Saint Norbert streets. Motorists are advised to expect delays and consider alternate routes. Motorists can log on to 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling. Follow Dormont-Brookline Patch on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, sign up for our email Newsletter.

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Missing Woman Last Seen at 51-88 Junction

Thayer Marody, 54, of Overbrook, has been missing since Monday.

Accidents Halt Morning Rush Hour

Several accidents were reported nearby this morning, making commutes difficult.

If your morning commute seemed a little dicey Monday morning, it's likely because of the number of car accidents reported nearby. A rollover accident occurred in the 2300 block of Clairton Boulevard (Route 51) around 8:15 a.m. Injuries were reported, but no other information is available at this time. At around the same time, a five-vehicle accident occurred in the outbound lanes of the Parkway West near the Carnegie Exit. Traffic was detoured to Nobelstown Road, then to I-79 and back to the parkway. One outbound lane reopened around 9 a.m., and PennDOT reported shortly after that the crash had been cleared. No serious injuries were reported. A third crash, this one in the inbound lanes of the Parkway West on the far side of Green Tree …

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UPDATE: Driver and Passenger Injured in Brookline Accident

The one-car accident injured two people.

A man and woman were injured this afternoon in a one-car accident on Route 51 (Saw Mill Run Boulevard) near Edgebrook Avenue in Brookline. A female passenger was thrown from the vehicle and has been taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, according to a Pittsburgh police officer at the scene. The male driver was critically injured, but information about where he was taken was not immediately available. The accident occurred near Ace Electronic Systems at 1621 Saw Mill Run Blvd., which officially is in Pittsburgh's Overbrook neighborhood. All four lanes of Route 51—two each heading north and south—were closed between Edgebrook and Colerain/Whited Street until one southbound lane coming from downtown Pittsburgh reopened at around 5…

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