Category: Events, News || By Staff and Wire Reports

Rankin Bridge Closes Saturday: The Rankin Bridge will close this weekend while crews repair structural steel, a county spokesman said.

The bridge, which is part of the link between Route 837 the Parkway East's Swissvale exit, will close at 6 a.m. Saturday and reopen Monday morning.

In addition, an underpass carrying Kenmawr Avenue underneath the bridge will be restricted to a single alternating lane.

Traffic will be detoured over the Homestead Grays Bridge and the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge. A printable map of the detour route is available at the county's website.

When the bridge reopens on Monday, traffic will still be restricted to a single lane in each direction.

Because of the work and last weekend's rain, planned construction on the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge has now been rescheduled for May 7-10 and May 14-17, weather permitting.

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Grandview Task Force Hosts Clean-Up: The newly formed resident task force in the city's Grandview section will hold a neighborhood-wide "cleanup" beginning at 8 a.m. May 15.

Spearheaded by young families, a spokesman said about 100 volunteers are expected. Local scouting groups and church groups will be joining the task force members.

Cleanup crews will meet in the parking lot of Beulah Park United Methodist Church, 1615 Grandview Ave., where supplies and assignments will be passed out.

Those supplies and refreshments have been donated by local businesses, a spokesman said.

The Grandview Task Force is one chapter of the "McKeesport Task Force," a network of volunteers and city officials organized to report and coordinate law enforcement, code enforcement and public works issues.

For more information, email grandviewtaskforce@gmail.com

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Motorcycle Blessing Sunday: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Walnut Street at Eighth Avenue, Downtown, will host its fifth-annual "Blessing of the Bikes" at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, following the 10 a.m. worship service.

Following the blessing, a caravan of bikes will head out for a Sunday afternoon bike ride.

Rev. Dr. Jay Geisler, rector of St. Stephen's and owner of a BMW 850 motorcycle, will preside over the ceremony.

The service is designed to pay tribute to the bikers and also raise awareness of motorcycle safety among the general public, says Geisler, of East Pittsburgh. For more information, call (412) 664-9379.

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Local Leaders to Dedicate Bridge: State and local officials will dedicate a new bridge over Jacks Run to the memory of former White Oak Mayor Milton L. Lebowitz.

The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at the intersection of state Route 48 and McClintock Road, near the entrance to White Oak County Park, and is open to the public.

A longtime community leader and owner of a dry-cleaning business, Lebowitz served on borough council from 1976 to 1983 and as mayor from 1998 until his death in 2003.

"Milton selflessly served the White Oak community for more than 40 years," says state Rep. Marc Gergely, White Oak Democrat, who sponsored the legislation to name the bridge for Lebowitz. "He was a dedicated businessman, volunteer, veteran and public servant."

Scheduled to attend are former Allegheny County commissioner, state treasurer and auditor general Barbara Hafer; state Sen. Sean Logan, Monroeville Democrat; state Rep. David Levdansky, Elizabeth Democrat; Allegheny County Councilman Robert Macey, West Mifflin Democrat; former Allegheny County Coroner Cyril Wecht; Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge David Wecht; and Dan Cessna, executive director, state Department of Transportation District 11.

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