Construction resumed April 8 at 5051 Centre Ave. in Bloomfield, a project being developed by Pitt and Wexford Science + Technology as a research facility.
All other construction projects on Pitt’s campuses — including work on Bigelow Boulevard, Scaife Hall and the Petersen Sports Complex — were halted on March 19 after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all nonessential business to close. Though the list of what constitutes essential and nonessential businesses has changed some in the past three weeks, the order is still in effect.
For the 5051 Centre Ave. project, the state granted a waiver to Turner Construction Co., because the 246,000-square-foot project will be a health care facility when completed. In February, Robert Ferris, director of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, said the new building will serve as an extension to the Shadyside center, where space is limited.
“This new facility will be really a wonderful addition and extension with our existing adjacent Hillman Cancer Center, but modernized according to how research is done in 2020,” Ferris said. “We're looking forward to the future of cancer research and hoping to continue leading that particularly in the area of cancer immunotherapy.”
Construction at the site is permitted to continue with appropriate social distancing and other precautions consistent with CDC guidelines. The eight-story historic building, once home to Ford Motor Company, is on track to open in fall 2021.