The second phase of Penn Avenue reconstruction in Garfield and Bloomfield should begin in 2020, but it’s not yet clear how long it will take, Pittsburgh officials said Tuesday.

Work in the first phase, which stretched four blocks from Mathilda to Evaline streets, lasted more than two years before wrapping up in 2016. Critics bristled as it ran longer than planned, went over budget and disrupted businesses.

The city learned a lot from the experience, according to the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, or DOMI. Adjustments for the second phase — which will rebuild about three blocks from Evaline to Graham streets — should include more upfront environmental work to explore soil conditions beneath the thoroughfare, project manager Emily Gaspich said.

Planners also will get a better sense of underground utility vaults, among other preparations before reconstruction begins, Ms. Gaspich said. Monthly community meetings to discuss the project should resume in 2019.

Total costs for the second phase will probably reach about $8.1 million, some 80 percent of which will be covered by the federal government, said DOMI deputy director Jeff Skalican. Local money should cover the rest, he said.

For now, the project remains in a planning phase. Ms. Gaspich said design work could take up to 18 months. By next spring, the city should have a better grasp on how long the reconstruction period will last, Mr. Skalican said.

An exact start date has yet to be established. Penn Avenue follows the border between Bloomfield and Garfield.

Adam Smeltz: 412-263-2625, asmeltz@post-gazette.com, @asmeltz.

First Published: April 24, 2018, 11:11 p.m.