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State reps urge Southern Beltway completion

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A view of construction on the Southern Beltway

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State representatives from the region are urging completion of the Southern Beltway construction project to connect Monongahela River communities to the West Virginia border.

In a letter to the state Turnpike Commission, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and the state Department of Transportation, Reps. Bud Cook, R-Daisytown; Matt Dowling, R-Fayette, and Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis, said the Mon-Fayette Expressway was envisioned to enhance economic development there, but many of the brownfield sites remain vacant. They urged the Turnpike Commission to shift focus and funds from a Monroeville extension of the Mon-Fayette Expressway to completion of the Southern Beltway.

“There is a lot of heavy lifting that needs to be done to ensure that our state and local economies thrive and our regional travel and tourism are revitalized,” said Cook in a news release. “Quality of life, lack of investment, blight removal, business development along the river and rail lines to provide industrial bulk shipping are just a few of the major challenges that need to be overcome to help our entire region to flourish once more. Completing the construction on this missing 14-mile extension of the Mon-Fayette extension is absolutely essential to achieving multiple economic development objectives.”

The Mon-Fayette Expressway in Washington County, from the Monongahela River valley to Union Township, was completed years ago. The Southern Beltway would connect to the Mon-Fayette Expressway near Finleyville.

One section of the Southern Beltway is complete. The Findlay Connector opened to traffic in October 2006. The road begins at Pittsburgh International Airport on I-376 and runs southward six miles to an interchange with Route 22 between the Bavington exit and Route 980 interchange.

The next phase of the Southern Beltway begins at the southern terminus of the Findlay Connector, at the Route 22 interchange, and proceeds 13 miles southeast to an interchange with I-79, and a local connection at Morganza Road near the Allegheny/Washington County line. Construction of this phase, on the bridges that will carry the Southern Beltway over Route 22, started in 2014. Turnpike Commission spokesman Carl DeFebo said that section is expected to open around 2020.

There is no timetable for the last section, the interchange at I-79 near the Allegheny/Washington County line that proceeds about 12.5 miles eastward to a new interchange with the Mon-Fayette Expressway near Finleyville.

According to the Turnpike Commission, the project will be revisited once the Mon-Fayette Expressway is complete.

DeFebo said that while the Turnpike Commission acts as the builder, it is up to local officials to make final decisions.

“We have to design and build these as funding is available,” DeFebo said. “It’s a massive undertaking, and, sometimes, they do take decades to build.”

In the letter, the legislators contend that funds should be redirected from an extension of the Mon-Fayette Expressway to Monroeville to completion of the Southern Beltway.

“The … rationale for taking the Mon-Fayette extension to Monroeville is completely ridiculous. This is a wasteful government project. Connecting Monroeville was never part of the plan … and makes absolutely no sense economically or logistically,” said Warner. “Instead, we need to focus on completing the Southern Beltway now. With the (Shell) cracker plant coming online soon and other ancillary jobs expected, the Southern Beltway will be a key to revitalizing the job opportunities for area residents, and it will have a worthwhile economic impact on the region.”

DeFabo said the Monroeville extension of the Mon-Fayette Expressway was part of the original plans.

“The Turnpike Commission unfortunately has deferred the Southern Beltway project to the point that it is not expected to be completed before midcentury – by which time, the opportunity for these communities will be long past,” the letter states.

Some commissioners from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a 10-county planning agency, have expressed concern about the Monroeville extension, from Jefferson Hills to I-376, questioning whether it would hurt development in the Mon Valley, destroy communities in its path and reduce populations.

In March, the Turnpike Commission froze project spending after the commission delayed taking action on the Monroeville extension.

Washington County Commissioners Larry Maggi, vice chairman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and Harlan Shober said they were in favor of a Mon-Fayette Expressway resolution.

Reps. John Maher, Jason Ortitay, Mark Mustio, Brandon Neuman, Aaron J. Bernstine, Jim Christiana, Pam Snyder, Jim Marshall and Rick Saccone also signed the letter.

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