Diverging diamond planned for I-70-Route 51 interchange
Observer-Reporter
The diverging diamond in South Strabane Township is shown in this file photo.
Mark Hofmann/ For the Observer-Reporter
Bill Kovach, left, executive for PennDOT District 12, and Melissa Batula, acting executive deputy secretary for PennDOT, were in Rostraver Township on Friday to discuss the progress of the five-year Interstate 70/Route 51 Interchange Project.
Since the first diverging diamond interchange opened in Washington County in 2016, officials from the state Department of Transportation has seen a significant drop in crashes there.
“We saw a 50% reduction in reportable crashes on Route 19 following construction of the DDI interchange,” Bill Kovach, PennDOT District 12 Executive, said on Friday.
The DDI in South Strabane Township at the Interstate 70 and Route 19 interchange was the first in the state, and Kovach said officials are hopeful that installing one at the interchange of I-70 and Route 51 in Rostraver Township will replicate its success.
In addition to replacing the existing cloverleaf interchange, the project, which started this year, also includes the widening and reconstruction of over two miles of I-70, modernization of Route 51 through reconstruction of one mile of roadway, the relocation of Finley Road and Route 981, as well as work to improve nine bridges, including the Matthew Smelser Memorial Bridge over the Youghiogheny River.
“With an original contract value of over $120 million, this project is the largest project in District 12 history, dollar-wise,” Kovach said of the Interstate 70/Route 51 Interchange Project.
The district includes Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties, and the project is part of PennDOT’s 1-70 modernization strategy from Washington to the New Stanton interchange.
Kovach said DDIs are a more cost-effective design than conventional interchanges, use less space, provide for improved capacity now and in the future by requiring fewer lanes to handle the same amount of traffic, and improve safety and mobility by reducing the number of conflict points.
Construction on the I-70/Route 51 project will come with nighttime single-lane restrictions on Route 51 and I-70, as well as the potential for some daytime single-lane restrictions. He said PennDOT will announce when those and other restrictions are scheduled.
The project is slated to be completed by the fall of 2026.
“This will help Southwestern Pennsylvania move forward in safety, mobility and improved infrastructure,” Kovach said.
Funding for the project came from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Statewide, the BIL will invest $4 billion over the next five years through new federal highway and bridge funds. It includes $560 million in new funds for 2022.
Kovach said District 12 will see at least $134 million investments from BIL in the next five years.
Melissa Batula, acting executive deputy secretary for PennDOT, said money from BIL is helping PennDOT advance roadway projects more quickly.
For example, she said 611 projects were delivered in September of this year, 282 projects were completed this year, 4,000 roadway miles were improved and 425 bridge projects were bid to be repaired, replaced or preserved.
Batula said the projects are going to modernize the state’s infrastructure.
“Investing in infrastructure is critical to safely moving people and goods and supporting our economy,” Batula said.