Residents learn about next phase of Mon/Fayette Expressway project

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission hosted an open house Wednesday in West Mifflin to learn about the next construction section from PA Route 51 to I-376.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission held an open house Wednesday evening at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in West Mifflin for the community to learn about the next construction section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway PA Route 51 to I-376 Project.

The Mon/Fayette Expressway is a project that was mandated by the state legislature in 1985, designed to boost economic development in the Mon Valley, according to the commission. This is the only project that has tolls, and is funded through Act 89 of 2013 and the Oil Company Franchise Tax.

From left, engineers Nathan Neltner and Nate Simon discuss plans for the next phase of the Mon/Fayette Expressway with residents during an open house event Wednesday evening. Sarah Pellis / Mon Valley Independent

The expressway currently stretches 54 miles from I-68 near Morgantown, W.Va. to PA Route 51 in Jefferson Hills, Allegheny County. Once all seven sections are complete, the MFE will extend 68 miles to I-376 in Monroeville, Allegheny County.

Funding for the remaining sections are evaluated annually based on state funding. Based on current funds, the PA Turnpike is moving forward with constructing the third section within the southern portion of this project, which runs from Route 51 in Jefferson Hills Borough to state Route 837 in the City of Duquesne.

On Jan. 13, the PA Turnpike awarded Trumbull Corp. a $163.5 million contract to build the third section (53B1A), according to a press release.

The section will extend approximately 1.5 miles beginning just north of the Camp Hollow Road (State Route 2043) roundabouts in West Mifflin Borough and run north where it will tie in with a new interchange at Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard (State Route 2045) near the Richland Cemetery in Dravosburg Borough.

“This project is basically picking up where the prior section left off,” senior project manager Eric Buchan said. “Essentially this project carries PA 43 toward Kennywood to Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard. This project completes all the work in between. Bridges, roadway, earth moving to complete that connection.”

The contract requires Trumbull Corp. to excavate approximately 1.5 million cubic yards of earth, construct two noise walls and build four bridges, according to the commission.

There will be blasting in this area, and full construction can start as early as April, and the end date is October 2029, according to Trumbull project manager Pat Daley.

The new section is the smallest, and is an extension of the rest of the area sections, according to assistant chief engineer for construction with the turnpike Matt Burd. It also does not have any tolls, which he said is a benefit for travel in the area.

Turnpike Commission Senior Engineer Project Manager John Dzurko said off ramps connect the interchange near Camp Hollow.

The expressway is divided into seven construction sections throughout the county. 53A1 begins where the current expressway ends at PA Route 51 in Jefferson Hills Borough and stretches approximately three miles north of Coal Valley Road, and 53A2 extends into the West Mifflin area near Lebanon Church Road.

“As long as everything stays on schedule, and we have no reason to think it won’t, by November we should have the first section open,” Burd said.

New interchange and road fixes

For this section, there will also be a new permanent traffic signal installed at the intersection of Richland Avenue and Fifth Street in Dravosburg, due to a history of traffic accidents in that area.

Construction of the permanent traffic signal will require the temporary signal to be removed, and traffic will be restricted to one lane with no left turns allowed in the area during construction.

The project is also going over Curry Hollow Road in an abandoned section, which will be closed off. It will end for public driving into a cul-de-sac, and the only access would be for the sanitary authority to get to their building, according to Daley.

Six-tenths of a mile of Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard will also be reconstructed to create a half interchange with the Mon/ Fayette Expressway, allowing traffic to enter the toll road going south and exit the toll road heading north.

There will also be improvements to the road to improve safety and general quality, according to Buchan. Burd said Wednesday that the only restrictions happening with this new section are at Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard.

It will eventually have the turnpike going across it at an intersection in the next section depending on funding, and Buchan said this area will be more accessible.

Dzurko said there is a bridge on the road over the Union Railroad that needs reconstruction, and they are not sure how long the road will be one lane, but that it will be a long-term project.

“There are six side streets, and Fifth Street is where the temporary light is at,” Dzurko said. “These will be closed, and you won’t be able to get out onto Richland Avenue while we’re in construction. Of course, when we’re done, we will be opened back up. There’s a lot of work to reconstruct it, and in the fall of 2029, you’ll be able to go from Pitt-McKeesport to West Virginia.”

With this job, Burd said the biggest takeaway is they are able to do the connection into Dravosburg off of Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard over to Camp Hollow after a connecting road was closed years ago. This interchange may be the biggest inconvenience for the public with this section’s construction, he added. The upper part of the road is what is being constructed before the Mansfield Bridge leading to McKeesport, according to Burd. The road will be down to one lane in each direction, and some pedestrian restrictions/detours with the sidewalks along it, but no restrictions to business along the roadway. The road will be widened as well.

“We got to reconstruct that section of the road into pieces so we can connect the interchange to it,” Burd said. “The temporary signal that we put up was a year and a half ago.

“That’s going to be taken down with a permanent signal to go back in its place, and the intersections in the borough of Dravosburg will be set up so everything runs (smooth),” he added. “There is a fair amount of foot traffic there. We do have pedestrian detour plans and signs about where they are able to go.”

Daley said the biggest part of the whole project is the Pittsburgh-McKeesport construction. All of the signage, signals, and intersections will be upgraded, but traffic will be “brutal, difficult aspect” as they hope to keep traffic flowing through the area.

“This is actually going to be a big upgrade for this whole area of this project,” Daley said. “It’s going to suck while it’s getting built, but after all this is upgraded, actually Pittsburgh-McKeesport in this stretch is going to be a lot better after that’s done.”

Aiming for the future

Several residents in attendance Wednesday had concerns about the construction, the trees being cut down, obstructions of views from their houses and the fact that they may not get the completed product.

Pleasant Hills resident Joe Palya said he wasn’t sure about the construction, and wonders if he’ll get to see the finished project.

From Jan. 13, when the contract was approved, until March 31 was the timeframe construction could cut down the trees in the area because of bat season following after that. It was about 100 acres cut down, was completed, and took about a couple weeks.

They also follow DEP and EPA regulations to follow for noise abatement with soundwalls, along with the treecutting.

“It breaks my heart to cut down that many trees, it really does,” Daley said. “Everyone wants to buy lumber and stuff like that, and when you reason, it does come from somewhere. It’s usable timber. It might build a house, somebody a shelf. That wood had to come from somewhere.”

Daley added that Trumbull is trying to be good neighbors, and not that “standoffish company,” can be reached out to at any time. He also said local officials are excited.

“We’re trying to come in and do a good job, and complete the project we’ve been awarded,” Daley said. “If somebody comes with a complaint, we take it seriously. We don’t brush anybody off. I think it’s good progress for the area, and I think it’s an alternative mode of transportation.”

According to Burd, the funding stream has dipped due to less use of gasoline, loss of fuel tax revenue and construction costs have gone up 38% on their bids since 2020.

While Burd is not sure about the next sections and there is still a long way to go, this section is an important piece even though it’s not that big. He also hopes there will be some traffic alleviation on Lebanon Church Road near Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory after this section is made.

“For me, personally, this new offline construction is exciting because it doesn’t happen much,” he added. “This is a pretty simple section. There’s one big bridge, and then some smaller bridges. There’s a lot of steps and a lot of red tape to get to this point, and funding is always the issue.”

Dzurko said they are confident in the success of this new section as he was in the other two that are being constructed.

According to Buchan, this new section provides accessibility for the community, and any connection they make improves mobility in the area.

“It’s a very unique project,” Buchan said. “It’s a new limited access highway being put in that doesn’t happen very often, so we are very excited about getting another section of this project out the door.”

More updates on the construction can be found at www.paturnpike.com/monfayette.