Mar 9, 2018 2 min read

Drivers who travel Interstate 70 east of Washington between the Beau Street and Route 519/Eighty Four interchanges in South Strabane Township will see nighttime lane restrictions starting next week.

“Starting Monday night, there will be lane closures from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. between the Beau Street interchange and south junction with Interstate 79,” said Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation who is overseeing the project. “The restrictions will be on the westbound side for right now as we widen the shoulder in that area.”

Faieta said the restrictions will be in place Sunday through Thursday nights, with work wrapping up on Friday mornings. If it is snowing, there will be no lane restrictions.

The project to rebuild the highway had been scheduled to be completed in October 2020. Faieta said the work is a couple of months behind schedule. He said inclement weather and the time required to obtain environmental permits for the project are the reasons for the delay. The westbound side of the highway will be done this construction season.

“The completion date may change,” Faieta said. “A forensic analysis will be done of the schedule so we can see if it can be put back on track.”

Faieta said part of the upcoming work includes fixing a slide on Clare Drive near the former PONY headquarters. That work should be done in April.

“We are still working out the details, but I expect the road to be down to one lane in that area,” Faieta said.

Excavation work is continuing throughout the project in preparation for the constriction work. Faieta said work is being done in the median. There also is a large excavation site on the eastbound side of the highway near the KOA Campground, as well as on the westbound side near the Eighty Four exit. Three streams will be relocated as part of the project.

A meeting is scheduled for next week with township officials, police and other emergency management officials to discuss a plan in the event of a crash or other emergencies in the construction zone on the highway.

“We are trying to plan ahead and determine access points in the event of a crash,” Faieta said.

Faieta said PennDOT has paid the contractor, Lane Construction, about $21.5 million of the $119 million cost of the project.