Design of PennDOT projects underway in Washington County called ‘innovative’
Carroll Township Supervisor Tom Rapp, left, listens as Joe Szczur, PennDOT district executive, talks about upcoming road projects for Washington County prior to the community outreach meeting at PennDOT’s Washington County maintenance office in Eighty Four Thursday afternoon.
Rachel Duda, assistant district engineer for PennDOT’s District 12, explains the dual roundabout in Eighty Four to audience during PennDOT’s community outreach meeting held at its Washington County maintenance office in Eighty Four Thursday.
Road projects under construction or being planned in Washington County are being done a bit differently with an eye on keeping motorists safer or getting the work done more quickly.
“Washington County is on the leading edge of innovation,” said Rachel Duda, assistant district engineer for the state Department of Transportation’s District 12, during the annual meeting March 26 with local representatives to update them on construction projects planned for 2015. “We are always looking at ways to have a project built quicker.”
One of the projects PennDOT is trying to get done more quickly is the Venetia Bridge, which takes Venetia/Rankintown Road over Peters Creek near the Peters Township and Finleyville lines.
Duda said the original plan was for the work to replace the one-lane bridge and make other improvements take two years, but residents voiced their opposition.
“They also were against a detour,” Duda said. “So we went back to them. We can replace the bridge in two weeks and replace the curve and culvert in four weeks, so the road will only be closed and detoured for six weeks. Then, we can do the other work with the road open.”
An innovative project scheduled to be done later this year is the construction of two roundabouts on Route 519 where it intersects with Brownlee and Thomas-Eighty Four roads in North Strabane Township.
“The intersection had a history of crashes and lawsuits against PennDOT,” Duda said. “Drivers didn’t know if the other motorist was turning right, going straight or continuing on Route 519.”
Duda said they looked at putting in signals at the two intersections. They also considered one roundabout with a signal and one large roundabout, but those were also ruled out.
Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer on the project, said both Brownlee and Thomas will be closed for about two weeks. He expects Brownlee to be closed in mid-May and Thomas-Eighty Four in June.
Another innovative project is the diverging diamond interchange on Interstate 70 at Murtland Avenue.
“It is one of the most innovative in Pennsylvania,” Duda said. “It is going to be a great thing when done. It fits right in the footprint of the existing interchange.”
The district also plans to continue to tackle structurally deficient bridges, said Joseph Szczur, district executive.
“We challenged ourselves to replace 500 bridges in the next 10 years,” Szczur said.
The district also deals with road slides. Szczur said the tri-state area has the highest tendency for road slides east of the Mississippi River.
Work to improve the Pike Street/Country Club Road intersection has been delayed while utility work is done, Faieta said. Work will be done either next month or in June on the railroad crossing. There also will be a two-month period, likely from late August to late October that drivers will not be able to go from the I-79 ramps to Meadow Lands on Pike, he added.
Other improvements planned this year or in the next several years include work on I-70 at both the Centerville and Bentleyville interchanges as well as between Route 519 and the south junction with Interstate 79 and work between the I-79 ramps at Canonsburg and the intersection of Weavertown and Morganza roads.
Road surface work will also be done on I-70 between the Chestnut Street and Claysville exits. A contract was awarded to paint and make other repairs to the Speers bridge across the Monongahela River.
County crews will be tarring and chipping about 120 miles of local roads, said Adam Smith, county maintenance manager. Route 917 between Ellsworth and Route 40 will be repaved this summer.