PennDOT addresses Boyce-Mayview intersection project in South Fayette
Harry Funk / STAFF A small bridge near the intersection of Boyce and Mayview roads will be relocated as part of a PennDOT improvement project.
Harry Funk / STAFF A small bridge near the intersection of Boyce and Mayview roads will be relocated as part of a PennDOT improvement project.
Unlike when the bridge over Chartiers Creek was replaced in the 1990s, Boyce Road will remain open during a state Department of Transportation project to improve the street’s intersection with Mayview Road on the township line between Upper St. Clair and South Fayette.
PennDOT officials and others involved in the project held a public meeting Oct. 26 to address plans, which call for completion during the 2018 construction season under optimal circumstances.
“This project is fully funded, so we are moving forward with this,” said Cheryl Moon-Sirianni, PennDOT District 11 assistant district executive, as she assured the audience at Fairview Volunteer Fire Department in South Fayette.
Mayview Road is expected be closed during part of the project, with the portion to the south of Boyce probably subjected to a detour. Construction in that area will include the replacement and relocation of a bridge and rerouting a small stream close to the intersection.
“Typically, it’s silted all the way up to the top,” said Sean Henderson of Murrysville-based TRC Engineering, the consulting engineer for the project. “Most people don’t even know that it’s there.”
Plans also call for realigning Mayview to provide for a better approach to the intersection from the south, and to install a right-turn lane onto Boyce Road. Widening of Boyce will provide for left-turn lanes in both directions, and Mayview to the north also is to be broadened for the possibility of a future right-turn lane. Studies conducted at the intersection show an average vehicle travel time delay of 1 1/2 minutes during peak hours.
“We’re looking to get that closer down to 30 seconds per vehicle,” Henderson said.
PennDOT officials plan to have further discussions with nearby residents, emergency services personnel and local school districts about the impact of detouring Mayview Road traffic during construction.
“The good thing about detours is that you can get in and out of there fast, and it’s less of an impact for the amount of time,” Henderson said.
Some of the work will take place within the rights of way of utility companies, which must relocate pieces of infrastructure to allow for the project to proceed.
“Depending on how long it takes them to get out of the way, that can affect the construction season. Hopefully, we can get them in and out, and get this project completed in 2018,” Henderson said. If not, “This could potentially spill over into the 2019 construction season to finish some of the work.”
The project also involves efforts to improve hydraulics and minimize sediment buildup near the intersection, which often is subject to water backup.
“We can’t solve all the flooding problems,” Henderson said, “but we are going to make it as good as we possibly can.”