Nov 20, 2020 2 min read

BENTLEYVILLE – The state Department of Transportation is in the early planning stages of reconfiguring a nine-mile section of Interstate 70 between Bentleyville and the Monongahela River.

The project is estimated to cost between $150 million and $180 million and wouldn’t begin until 2028, PennDOT District 12 spokesman Jay Ofsanik said.

The scope of the project and how the highway would be reconstructed is still under preliminary consideration, depending on the “mainline improvement” design plan put forward by SPK Engineering Inc. of Uniontown, Ofsanik said.

“The project is early in preliminary engineering, the impacts and improvements to the interchanges have not been determined,” Ofsanik said.

SPK began its preliminary engineering work Sept. 16, and letters were sent last month to property owners along the highway who may need to allow consultants and contractors access to the area to conduct surveys, engineering and environmental studies, soil exploration or other tests.

The construction project will stretch from the newly configured Bentleyville interchange to the Belle Vernon Bridge that connects Washington and Westmoreland counties. Most of I-70 between Washington and New Stanton has been undergoing construction for several years to update the highway, which was built in the 1960s, to modern transportation standards.

Crews already have been working on part of that stretch of interstate that is slated for reconstruction in 2028, which Ofsanik said is normal maintenance of the highway. The Belle Vernon Bridge has also been renovated, meaning it will not be included in the future project.

“We’re doing preservation work right now. That preservation work was done … until we can begin that (long-term construction) work,” Ofsanik said. “Keep the interstate in drivable condition to the public until we can get to this.”

So far, 15 out of 24 “high-priority” projects have been completed on I-70 in Washington and Westmoreland counties, while four others are currently under construction and another five are in the design phase. The $500 million “I-70 Modernization Strategy” includes interchange improvements, bridge reconstruction, roadway widening and surface improvements.

Meanwhile, there will be lane closures and brief rolling stops in both directions of I-70 between the Murtland Avenue and Beau Street exits in South Strabane from 6 to 9 a.m. Sunday. The delays are needed to allow crews to perform a telephone line crossing above the interstate.