PennDOT plans open house display for project
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will hold an open house display of construction plans for Interstate 70 widening and the diverging diamond interchange project. The display will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. May 8 at South Strabane Fire Station No. 2, 172 Oak Spring Road, Washington.
This project is the first phase of the department’s plan to provide three lanes in each direction on Interstate 70 between the I-79 north and south junctions. The project involves the widening of Interstate 70 from two lanes to three lanes from the north junction to the Beau Street interchange. The project also involves the widening of the I-70 westbound ramp to I-79 northbound to two lanes at the north junction and the reconstruction of the Murtland Avenue interchange.
The Beau Street interchange at the eastern end of the project will remain as it exists today. Route 19 between the Oak Spring Road and the Trinity Point Drive intersections will be upgraded as part of the interchange reconstruction.
The substandard cloverleaf interchange at the Murtland Avenue will be reconstructed into a DDI. The DDI is a newer type of interchange design that will cross traffic on Route 19 to the opposite side of the roadway within the interchange.
Although this is anticipated to be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, more than 30 DDI have been implemented in the United States with many more in the planning and design stage.
This project is tentatively scheduled to be bid in late July with construction to continue through 2017. Traffic on Interstate 70, the ramps, and Route 19 will be maintained during construction but work on the bridges on Interstate 70 over Locust Avenue will require a short-term detour of Locust Avenue.
An informational video of the diverging diamond interchange will also be displayed.