By Sarah Pellis
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An open house was held Wednesday evening at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in West Mifflin to discuss and answer questions with the public about construction plans for Section 53A2 of the Mon/Fayette Expressway Route 51 to I-376 project.
Maps were displayed as several hundred residents attended the open house to ask Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and various contractors questions about the project.
Thomas Lench, a team member with HDR engineering and contracting, explained said this new section is a continuation of the first Section 53A1, which is where Route 51 and the turnpike ends.
The Mon/Fayette Expressway is a project that was mandated by the state legislature in 1985 to be built with the purpose of boosting the economy in the Mon Valley. The passing of Act 89 in 2013 provided a funding stream for this project to continue.
Lench said there will be a bridge over New England Road and Route 885, with the section having another structure over Camp Hollow Road, which is right near the Holiday Inn. There will be roundabouts in West Mifflin rather than traffic signals because the borough council prefers it that way and there are many safety benefits.
Construction will happen during the summer months, starting this upcoming summer or next, according to contractors, because they “do not want to impact school buses” during the school year. They are aiming to be done by late 2027.
The next expansion to Duquesne is expected to go out for bids late next year, according to construction engineering manager Steve Hrvoich. The turnpike commission is waiting for funding to come in for that segment.
“With this expansion, eventually, they will be able to get from Route 51 down in Jefferson Hills all the way to Kennywood Park in just a few minutes compared to what it would take right now to climb over Route 885 and downhill and all those little roads,” Hrvoich said.
The Mon/Fayette Expressway/Pa. Turnpike 43 is part of a regional improvement project that will provide better mobility to help spur redevelopment efforts and provide much needed access in the Mon Valley, according to the turnpike commission. The project will connect the Mon Valley with Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs.
The Mon/Fayette Expressway Route 51 to 1-376 Project is divided into two sections: south and north of the Monongahela River, according to the project’s website. The southern section is being built first from Route 51 to Route 837 in Duquesne, and is divided into seven construction sections, beginning with Section 53A1.
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