Southern Beltway may cut Millers Run in South Fayette
Mark Fedosick of MS Consultants answers questions about the Southern Beltway project.
55-C1, the portion of the Southern Beltway project concerned with three bridges and embankments to build and shorten those bridges. Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission wants to add two cul-de-sacs to its Southern Beltway project in South Fayette, which will save $8.5 million dollars and shorten three proposed bridges.
“It’s a substantial cost savings, because the bridges would be very high and have to carry and cover a lot,” engineering consultant Dave Cooper said of the change in the $666 million fully-funded project.
The proposed change would take out about 600 feet of Millers Run Road and have it end in cul-de-sacs, each becoming part of the bridges’ embankment under the extension of toll highway 576. That embankment would shorten the bridges by about 150 feet. The bridges would connect Cecil-Sturgeon Road to Route 50, and carry both sides of the highway over Millers Run, a railroad track and Route 50 between Route 22 and I-79.
About 70 people attended the South Fayette Township commissioners’ special meeting in the middle school auditorium the evening of Oct. 15, where turnpike commission representatives and consultant engineers answered questions and explained the proposed changes.
Concerns from audience members about the entire beltway project included impacted water tables, increased noise and traffic, decreasing property values and added travel time for school district bus drivers.
“The last time a project like this happened, I lost my water. It turned grey, nasty. And the turnpike commission didn’t return my calls,” Donald Seward said.
“If South Fayette follows up on proposed development, if it’s commercial, then my property values are going to go down … and that cul-de-sac is not an exit, one way in. If there’s a problem with the trains, we might be trapped,” Gina Cormick, of Gladden, said.
“Ultimately, if public feedback is so strong that we can’t proceed this way, we’ll go back to the drawing board,” said Cooper, whose consultant group, Parsons Brinckerhoff, is responsible for the design of the Millers Run Road portion of the 13-mile project.
“We’re looking to start construction of this portion in 2016, and open it to traffic by 2019-20.”
The proposed changes have to be approved by the Federal Highway Administration.
In other business, commissioners approved advertising for new police officers, and heard at least three audience members say they would like to see an amendment to the request for proposal application regarding the remaining acreage of the Star City property to allow it to be sold instead of leasing the property.