The old switcheroo
Drivers traveling Interstate 70 near Murtland Avenue in South Strabane Township will start to see changes in traffic patterns next week as crews prepare to switch the westbound lanes to travel on the eastbound side this construction season.
The eastbound lanes will shift to the right Tuesday morning, said Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation, who is overseeing the $51.2 million project to build a diverging diamond interchange at Murtland. Golden Triangle Construction of Imperial is the general contractor. Faieta expects the shift to start about 8 p.m. Monday and be done by 6 a.m. Tuesday.
“My concern is the impact to traffic coming from Interstate 79 southbound and merging onto I-70 eastbound,” Faieta said. “While drivers now have a nice, long ramp, it will be shortened during construction and I expect it to stay that way for the remainder of the construction season. We may see queuing onto I-79 like we did last year.”
Faieta said there will be a yield sign at the end of the ramp for I-79 south traffic merging onto I-70 east. He said the shortened ramp will be about 300 to 400 feet long. Drivers on the main line of I-70 will have a little more room to move over for drivers wanting to get onto the highway.
State police suggested to PennDOT that drivers wanting to avoid any backlog should get off the Houston exit of I-79 and take Route 519 to I-70 in Eighty Four.
The westbound lanes of the highway will be moved to the eastbound side next month so the westbound side of the highway can be rebuilt during this construction season. Faieta said the switch to the eastbound lanes, which were rebuilt last year, is scheduled for April 14.
Temporary ramps will be built so westbound drivers can get on and off I-70. A nightly, single lane closure started this week and will continue through next week on I-70 in the construction zone for construction of those ramps.
The electrical contractor expects to start work next month for the construction of the permanent traffic signals on Route 19. Faieta said the temporary signals now in placed will continued to be used this year.
Lt. Douglas Bartoe, patrol section supervisor for state police Troop B in Washington, said that after troopers issued more than 200 traffic citations to drivers on I-70 and I-79 over the Easter holiday weekend, the focus on enforcement will return to I-70 today.
“Once construction starts and traffic gets moved over, we will again be doing extra enforcement,” Bartoe said Tuesday. “The times will be determined after we see when we are having issues.”
Bartoe said his big concern was also be the ramp coming from I-79 south to I-70 east, where he is expecting backlogs. Sun glare also has been an issue for drivers between 7 and 7:30 a.m.
“Drivers going eastbound coming over the hill at the north junction are being blinded by the sun,” Bartoe said. “That along with the change in traffic pattern makes for a bad combination.”
Bartoe also reminded drivers that the speed limit has been reduced to 45 mph on I-70 between the Jessop Place exit and south junction with I-79.