Rain causes delays with work on Interstate 70 interchange
The former northbound ramp from Interstates 70 and 79 onto Route 19 North has been removed, as have others around the interchange.
Construction continues around the Murtland Avenue interchange with Interstates 70 and 79 in South Strabane Township.
The rain that started Monday night and is forecast to continue throughout the week is causing some delays with work being done to build the Murtland Avenue diverging diamond interchange on Interstate 70 in South Strabane Township.
“We wanted to mill and pave the westbound lanes on I-70 this week,” Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation. “But the weather is not being cooperative. We have the temperatures to do the paving, but the rain is not helping.”
“Rain is a major factor when you are excavating dirt,” said Eric Klimas, project manager for Golden Triangle Construction. “With trucks rolling through the dirt, you have to be careful because you can’t spread it onto the road.”
Golden Triangle of Imperial is the general contractor for the $54 million project to construct the diverging diamond interchange. Drivers going through the diverging diamond interchange will cross over and switch lanes on Route 19 with traffic signals controlling the flow of traffic. Motorists can either pass through or get on the highway. Work on the project began last fall and is scheduled to be completed in November 2017.
Klimas said Monday night’s rain forced the cancellation of scheduled work on the eastbound side in the construction area.
Crews will also be resetting the barrier on the westbound side, moving it about four feet closer to the travel lanes, Klimas said. That work should start next week.
The nightly single-lane closure in the eastbound lanes is continuing, weather permitting.
The ramps from I-70 eastbound to Route 19 northbound and from I-70 westbound to Route 19 southbound closed last month. Temporary ramps were built and temporary traffic signals were installed to allow drivers to make left turns onto Route 19. Faieta said work is continuing to tear out the old ramps. Some repairs are also being done to the bridge that carries the highway over Route 19.