Roadway around Century III Mall closes to traffic

Many motorists were caught by surprise when they were greeted with road closed signs on Century III Mall boulevard and Clairton Road.

The property owners of Century III Mall decided to close Century III Mall Boulevard, and West Mifflin officials said they had no say on the decision.

The private access road between Clairton Road and Route 51 is closed from the intersection of Century III Mall Boulevard and Clairton Road to the entrance of the UPMC Outpatient Center. The road, which has remained open despite the mall’s closure and ongoing demolition, was a frequently used shortcut for residents in West Mifflin to Route 51.

During Wednesday’s West Mifflin Borough council meeting, borough Manager Brian Kamauf told the Mon Valley Independent the Century III property owners closed the roads on Tuesday. Since they are considered private property, the borough has no say in it.

“I can guess why they did it, but unfortunately, it was their decision to close the road,” Kamauf said. “It’s going to cause some congestion and issues down there, and we’re gonna have to deal with the residents.”

Despite it being a frequently used shortcut, the roadways are riddled with gaping potholes. Drivers accustomed to the poor conditions became familiar with driving around the potholes to avoid damaging their vehicles.

Alternate routes include going further down Route 885 or 51 to Lewis Run Road or Lebanon Church Road.

Kamauf said they don’t know if the road will ever reopen.

“We’ve been dealing with issues with that property for a long time now; it’s just one more unfortunate incident that we have to deal with in that area,” he said. “We reiterate that it wasn’t our decision.”

The mall officially closed in 2019, and demolition began in March 2024 after years of decay. Moonbeam Capital Investments has been the owner of the property for over 10 years.

Last year, the site received $1 million from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to aid its demolition and redevelopment.

“We’ve never adopted that road, so they were responsible for maintenance and the snow removal,” Kamauf said. “It’s like your neighbor’s driveway; they let you park there, but when they shut it off, you can’t park there anymore.

“There’s no reason for us to take it over because the condition right now is so poor. It would be a burden to the residents to have to maintain something they were never responsible for.”

Kamauf said he’s observed that the demolition is halfway done, but that the borough isn’t aware of any future plans for the property.

“Obviously, we’d love to have something happen down there, and we would be happy to entertain any development down there,” he said. “But we have to get somebody that wants to do it first.”