Feb 19, 2020 3 min read

Maybe I’m just happy that we haven’t had to drive in much ice and snow so far this winter, or maybe it’s because Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring for the second straight year (which has never happened before). Whatever the reason, I was in a good mood the other day driving along Interstate 70 when I hit the newly expanded stretch between Beau Street and the Interstate 79 South interchange. It was so refreshing to breeze through that section with no traffic tie-ups, no construction causing lane restrictions and no sudden crossover to the other side of the highway. Finally!

I’m not sure of the timeline of this whole project, but it seems like it has taken an eternity, and the westbound lanes are still not done. However, before we all start grousing and hurling the usual insults at the state Department of Transportation, go ahead and take a ride on that stretch of newly resurfaced and widened highway. It’s terrific! The extra lane lets southbound traffic breeze along, and the entire surface is smooth and pothole-free.

So much of I-70 across Washington County was crumbling and mired in potholes in recent years that it felt as if you were constantly driving on rumble strips. Now, much of the potholes have been patched and the new segment near Beau, the revamped exit near Bentleyville and the redesigned interchange of I-70 and I-79 South have this old highway looking and feeling much improved in 2020. It seems as if we have endured endless delays and detours and traffic snarls due to all of this construction, but I have to say that driving on the (almost) finished product had me smiling and thinking it was well worth the hassles. PennDOT definitely deserves our positive vibes on this project.

Another huge, snarling project that generates occasional backups and delays is the new Southern Beltway section that will eventually connect I-79 between Southpointe and Bridgeville to I-376 near Pittsburgh International Airport. I sometimes encounter traffic problems in this construction zone on my way to and from work in Pittsburgh, but overall it’s not too bad, considering the enormous scope of the project. Most of the new interchange and highway section is slated to open a year from this fall, with total completion in 2022. I’m excited to see how it turns out and to be able to cut some time and the congestion of the Parkway West off my route to the airport.

As much as we complain about potholes in Pennsylvania and all of the orange cones and barrels that are a constant presence with road construction, I have to give PennDOT and the crews doing all of this work a lot of credit. I think they’re probably the only people who get more complaints than us meteorologists!

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.