Traffic switch on Interstate 70 for Murtland project may cause confusion
Motorists traveling Interstate 70 east between the north junction of Interstate 79 and the Beau Street exit are in for a change that may cause traffic backups.
Drivers traveling Interstate 70 east should be alert when traveling near the north junction of Interstate 79 as the lanes will split with the left lane moving over to the westbound side of the highway and the right lane staying on the eastbound side late today or early Thursday as part of the work at the Murtland Avenue interchange in South Strabane Township.
Drivers who want to exit the highway at either the Murtland or East Beau Street interchanges will have to stay in the right lane as the left lane will cross over to the westbound side of the highway just east of the north junction and stay there until it crosses back over east of the East Beau interchange. Traffic from I-79 south to I-70 east will be directed onto the right lane of the interstate. Both westbound lanes will remain on the existing westbound lanes and not use any crossovers.
Work on the split will start about 8 p.m. today as crews from Golden Triangle Construction of Imperial do preparatory work that includes setting barriers and eradicating existing lines so the new lines can be painted for the change in traffic pattern.
“We plan to have the switch implemented by 6 a.m. Thursday,” said Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer on the project for the state Department of Transportation.
If it is raining, the project will be scrapped until after the July 4th holiday. Faieta said line painting cannot be done during rainy weather since the paint will not adhere to the pavement.
“We should have switched two weeks ago, but we couldn’t because of the unstable weather and bands of rain,” Faieta said Tuesday. “We made the decision to try and do it this week so we can keep on schedule to have the eastbound lanes done by November.”
Faieta said there will be “tons” of signs to alert drivers of the change in traffic pattern and to give them ample notice of what lane to be in as they proceed through the construction zone.
“There will be five or six flashing message boards from near the West Chestnut Street exit to the north junction,” Faieta said. “Plus, we will have stationary signs telling people what lane they should be in.”
State police will be beefing up enforcement efforts in the construction zone, enforcing the 45 mph speed limit before the construction zone on both I-70 and I-79. Lt. Douglas Bartoe, patrol section supervisor for Troop B headquartered in Washington, said there will be cruisers protecting the queues and warning of possible backlogs entering the construction zone on both I-70 eastbound and I-79 southbound.
“I am really worried about a backlog,” Bartoe said Tuesday, noting there will be increased traffic for the holiday weekend. “We had a backlog on I-79 south on Friday for no reason.”
Faieta said that stretch is traveled by 70,000 vehicles on daily basis.
Bartoe is also concerned drivers who want to get off at Murtland or East Beau will end up on the eastbound lane that is on the westbound side of the highway where they will not have access to the interchanges.
“We don’t want drivers using a crossover in the median that is only for authorized or emergency vehicles,” Bartoe said. “People will not be looking for drivers coming from those crossovers. I know when I use the crossovers, I put on my emergency lights to alert drivers.”
There will be crossovers for the right eastbound lane next month when traffic is moved to the westbound side onto the bridge that takes the highway over Route 19 so the span on the eastbound side can be demolished and rebuilt. Faieta said traffic will remain in this configuration until November, when construction of the eastbound lanes is expected to be completed.
The $53 million project is to construct a diverging diamond interchange at Murtland. When done, drivers on Route 19 traveling under the highway will cross over and switch lanes with signals controlling traffic flow. Drivers will have the option of passing through or getting on the interstate. The project is slated to be done in November 2017.