Officials say diverging diamond traffic flowing well in South Strabane
The diverging diamond interchange on Route 19 (Washington Road) has been put into use, and officials said traffic is flowing better than expected.
”From what I saw, everything is running pretty smooth,” Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said late Wednesday morning. “On a scale of one to 10, I’d give it a nine-and-a-half.”
The switchover to the new traffic pattern began Tuesday night and was completed overnight.
Crews are working to eradicate, then repaint, lines on both lanes of Route 19. On the northbound lane, the work is between Oak Spring Road to the first traffic signal, and the southbound lane, from Strabane Square to the traffic signal.
Traffic is now required to cross over and switch lanes, which South Strabane Township police Chief Donald Zofchak said can be a little daunting.
“But people just need to drive through it slowly and follow the lines,” he said. “It’s well marked. They shouldn’t have any problems.”
The diverging diamond, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, is part of a $51.2 million project to renovate the Murtland Avenue interchange on I-70. Golden Triangle Construction of Imperial is the general contractor for the PennDOT project.
Traffic must cross over and switch lanes, with traffic signals directing flow to allow drivers to either proceed through or get on the highway in either direction. Faieta said the pattern will create a better flow of traffic through the area.
“It’s a very innovative type of project,” Faieta said. “Hopefully, people will get acclimated and it will do what it is designed to do and people will spend less time at stop lights.”
Faieta advised motorists there will single-lane restrictions from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday until November. Crews are scheduled to return next year to place a permanent surface on Route 19. Work to rebuild the westbound lanes of I-70 continues.