Plans for intersection of I-70 and Route 51 to be displayed

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

Plans for improvements to the intersection of I-70 and Route 51 in Rostraver Township will be displayed for public comment.

The virtual display will be posted online starting Wednesday and will remain accessible for public view and comment through April 21. 

For those without internet access, informational handouts and comment forms will be available at the Rostraver Municipal Building and the Rostraver Public Library, according to PennDOT District 12 spokesman Jay Ofsanik.

“It’s a virtual display. There will be a PowerPoint presentation and it will be captioned and someone will be talking through the points and people can leave feedback,” Ofsanik said.

Ofsanik said the feedback portion of the presentation is taken seriously by PennDOT.

“Once it’s available April 14, go online and look at it. We want people’s input,” Ofsanik said. “We want people’s input. 

“There will be a place for comments. If they have a question, they can put it there and it will be addressed.”

The plan covers the  reconstruction and widening of approximately 2 miles of I- 70 beginning about 1 mile west of Route 51 and ending at the eastern end of the Smithton High Level Bridge spanning the Youghiogheny River. 

The I-70 portion of the project will be located in Rostraver and South Huntingdon townships. 

The project will also include reconstruction of approximately 1  mile of Route 51 including the upgrade of the I-70 interchange with Route 51 at Exit 46. 

Ofsanik said the new interchange will feature a diverging diamond interchange. 

“It’s a smaller footprint so you have to take very little extra land because it’s smaller than the usual cloverleaf,” Ofsanik said. 

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