BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I'm gonna remember that price tag every time someone tells me to get off Piney Fork Rd and get on the Montour trail.

Well, we do enjoy some of the lowest tax rates in the world. And here's what that affords us.

This was an awful plan. They were going to run it along the river through Hazelwood, and tear down duck hollow.

The city is not "progressive" however the fact that they have designated riverfront property as parks, and this is not happening, is a really good thing.

Steevo, I'm not a proponent of more highways in general, but in this case it may have been worked out more or less the way the stretch of route 28 between the North Side and Millvale is being done. That is to say they would have likely constructed a trail along with the highway. And some of the plans call for literally elevating the highway around the bend in the Mon over the railroad tracks and under the Homestead High-Level.

Regardless, this plan is a loser for the Hazelwood area, and I think accommodating it through improving the 2nd Ave/Irvine St. corridor through the town would be the best alternative.

It was also slated to run through Braddock, and basically destroy what is left, so this is good news.

Incidentally, if anyone has any opportunity to support what is being done by Mayor John Fetterman in Braddock, by all means, DO IT! He's really something, and he's trying some great things.

http://www.15104.cc/

The road is a zombie, and cannot be killed, no matter how many times you kill it and pronounce it dead. The biggie here is that it HAS passed all the environmental clearances. All they need is the money. And don't be too surprised if, in all this Act 44 post-mortem, that they find it.

(You think $300M for a river tunnel is a lot? This is $6,000M!)

Minds have not been changed. The people in the Mon Valley still want this thing. Until and unless you change those minds, we'll still be looking at this zombie.

Remember the initials: MF-SOB. Mon-Fayette/SOuthern Beltway. That's the damn thing's NAME. Really.

By comparison, when I last looked at the TIP, fully funding every single bike and pedestrian project in SWPA was something like $50M. By further comparison, that's maybe one interchange on a big road.

$4.5 billion for a stupid road! Holy crap that's nuts.

More to the point: $4,500,000,000 for a road without an associated bike path?

I don't care if it goes through or not - Pittburgh has a need for freeway out south, after all. But it shouldn't go without a bike path.

No, I'll take the hard line and say we just don't need the road. In 1985, before they started work on I-279, Cranberry Twp was farmland and the North Side was still in pretty good shape. Also note the 3,200 homes and businesses in the East St Valley that got decimated to build it.

They build that thing, we lose Junction Hollow, we lose Duck Hollow, we lose Braddock, and any trail we have, we either lose or are shoved up cheek-and-jowl with an interstate highway.

Not only no, hell no. You want freight moved, we have rivers and railroads. You need better commuting, bring back the PATrain and make transit more workable. You need better roads, fix what we have already.

Lose any idea that any piece of this road is needed. Keep the zombie dead.

It's so odd. We don't have enough money to maintain what we have and we don't have enough money to build something we can't even maintain once it's built.

It's so odd. We don't have enough money to maintain what we have and we don't have enough money to build something we can't even maintain once it's built.

Agreed. Nothing like throwing good money after bad, AKA the sunk cost fallacy.

i always liked this picture

In a previous life I worked for a PR firm that had a contract to promote the public meetings, etc. surrounding the Mon/Fay and Southern Beltway. I was just a pee-on, but I was around the inside long enough to notice the whole thing was a big trough of cash for consultants, as well as an opportunity for politicians to make promises and pronouncements about with impunity - not to mention dole out cash within their districts on the many little contracts that make up such an enormous job.

It was never going to get built, won't ever be built - especially now the Turnpike is under such scrutiny, Barry Stout is out of the picture and individuals driving to work in cars is slipping out of vogue.

Guys like Dave Tessitor pushed back against Mon/Fay 15 years ago when "urban sprawl" was not fully understood.

The shame isn't the $4.5 billion that would have been spent, but the countless millions that HAS been spent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peon

The road is dead and will never be resuscitated; the only nail missing from the coffin is its de-authorization by the legislature... but that will never happen, regardless of how unrealistic the project is, was, and always will be. The only way to really get the project off the books is to kill the Turnpike Commission. Ah well. It's still good news!

But I agree with AtLeastMyKids - the real tragedy is all the time and money wasted. Check out some of Jason Togyer's vitriol on the subject at http://www.tubecityonline.com/almanac/entry_1476.php.

And check out PennFuture's project to support community-driven transportation planning in the Mon Valley here: http://www.monvalleyhelp.com/.

History lesson: The old "New 48"

@AtLeastMyKids:

I was opposed to the mofosob when Tom Murphy was first running for Mayor - in fact, my colleagues and I challenged him on it when he was campaigning at my office. There is no question that we all fully understood urban sprawl 20 years ago, and I am pretty sure that urban sprawl was understood in the 60s. It was just people who'd never been to New Jersey that didn't understand it.

but I was around the inside long enough to notice the whole thing was a big trough of cash for consultants, as well as an opportunity for politicians to make promises and pronouncements about with impunity - not to mention dole out cash within their districts on the many little contracts that make up such an enormous job.

This is everything that is wrong with our country, You see it with mall and plaza development all the time. New plaza means new money for consultants and builders. What they leave behind is an ugly parking lot with a few chain businesses that moved from somewhere else that doesn't serve the community.

And then they go bankrupt and leave an eyesore, in what used to at least be a field or a farm or something. Oh, and that "new money?" taxes, TIFs, taxpayer subsidized bonds...

There NEVER used to be empty storefronts in Squirrel Hill. Now there are several. But there's lots of parking at the Waterfront, and there will be lots of parking at BkSq (and I'm guessing that it will be cheap/free)

One other really important piece missing from my "hard line" rant above:

You want livable communities in the Mon Valley, like Glassport and Monessen, with burgeoning development, make it possible to get around those communities with a bicycle and your own two feet!

At their base, those are tiny, workable, walkable, reasonably level communities, but pasted to the edge of a huge hill. They were developed when people walked to the factories. They would be IDEAL for ped/bike-oriented development. The 21st century will be fueled by people with an Internet connection and/or a satellite dish, and places with a low overhead (read: non-dependence on cars) will do just fine.

Build up the ped/bike infrastructure in all the little towns along the Mon Valley, and nobody is going to want the damn road. Bikes seem to work just fine among you South Side Slopes dwellers; no reason they can't work in Port Vue, too.

Stu, to add; build the road, and Charleroi becomes "Cranberry South", no agriculture, and what's left of the river towns becomes crumbling ghettos for those unfortunates who can't afford to move out.

But there's lots of parking at the Waterfront, and there will be lots of parking at BkSq (and I'm guessing that it will be cheap/free)

Big surprise that the two large store fronts that just closed on Murray have locations at The Waterfront?

Interestingly enough the exact opposite is happening with Target!

@rsprake: Might I ask what (former) stores on Murray you're referring to? I also find it sad because Charleroi used to be somewhat of a big ticket trip because it was at the end of a major trolley line. I'm still convinced Pittsburgh could use a trolley "renaissance". Not that one out to Charleroi is practical today, but could be practical within the city and possibly inner suburbs. They could've funded a T extension to Century III and made it a regional transit center with the MFE money with hundreds of millions left over to fix and upgrade the EXISTING roadways.

Barnes & Noble and Panera.

And the shoe store from Bloomfield, Gordon's, moved to the waterfront too.

Can we count the Squirrel Hill theatre, too? granted it had been floundering for years, but Lowes put the baby in the bucket.

Sure you can. Forward theatre used to be my theatre of choice but they let it fall apart. They could have helped themselves possibly by running smaller movies that Lowes won't play.

That's really depressing to think about the migration of businesses from Squirrel Hill to the Waterfront.

Sure you can. Forward theatre used to be my theatre of choice but they let it fall apart. They could have helped themselves possibly by running smaller movies that Lowes won't play.

Hence the fact that the Manor, owned by the same company as the Sq. Hill, is still making money.

@ieverhart I'm not sure what Panera's problem was, they seemed to do a good business. Too many locations? I do think that was B&N's problem, they are all over the place with huge stores. Coupled that with major weakness in the bookselling market. They tried to branch out into music right around the time the iPod killed CD sales and then DVD's but live streaming comes along...

Adele's--a fancy women's clothing store--moved from Squirrel hill down there several years ago but Pro Bikes and Alladins moved into that space. Squirrel Hill ebbs and flows a bit. I think the B&N sapce is just so large no one quite knows what do do with it.

@jeffinpgh Unfortunately, the Manor is starting to show more and more mainstream movies, which is a bit disappointing as someone who always enjoyed the more eclectic fare there.

On the whole , I'm not too worried about Squirrel Hill - it should bounce back. I'm just glad on the whole that the MFSOB is (mostly) dead.

I still the biggest flaw in the project is that there are no contingencies. The Turnpike Commission basically made this highway with the argument that, in order to be the most effective it has to link up with the Parkway East. No one at the commission ever had the brain think, "hmm, maybe we can't fund this whole thing and maybe the community opposition will be too great as well?" How come there is no "plan B" or concessions with the affected municipalities? Ok, so the highway basically won't go any further than it does now, is there anyway we can improve the existing infrastructure (Route 51, Route 885, Route 837, etc.) to maximize the highway as has been built to this point?

It slays me that this dinosaur of a project is still billed as the "golden honey" that will soothe all the Mon Valley's woes.

Stu is right, the Mon Valley is ripe for some fresh 21st century thinking.

Unfortunately, the Manor is starting to show more and more mainstream movies Wondered if that would happen when they closed the other. You can tell how often I go to movies (pretty much never). Netflix just sent me a disc for the Wii that allows me to watch movies on demand on my TV.

I've heard that the Panera (and maybe B&N) closed because of landlord/building maintenance/rent-type issues and not just because it wasn't doing enough business.

It would be nice to have something else go in those spaces.

I am surprised by the number of vacant storefronts in Oakland too. Someone should open up a [non-dunkin] donut shop, please.

I also just read they are looking to build an Eat'n Park in Schenley plaza. (see: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10118/1054028-100.stm ). Personal dislike aside, am I the only one who finds it ironic they are going to build a historically drive-in restaurant in a park (noun, not verb). Why are we going to pave over public green space (that we just reclaimed from the pavement!) to build a corporate chain restaurant when there are huge empty buildings not even a block away. There must be something I'm missing.

I also just read they are looking to build an Eat'n Park in Schenley

This was going to be more like Six Penn Kitchen (which Eat 'n Park also owns) and have a different name like Current, or Willow or something. But I guess the design was still Eat'n Parky from the article you linked. Also Eat'n Park is a locally based chain which matters to the folks that make these decisions. Orginally another "local chain" Atria was going to be in that park but I guess the economy took that plan out.

Ahh, that makes more sense. Thanks.

Also, one of the little food vendor stalls in the plaza (the one nearest the tent) has been vacant for well over a year now, though it looks like someone was putting something in it last time I walked by.

Something like that could be really great there so long as they do in fact integrate it with the park more. I am thinking something Mad Mex or micro brewery inspired with loads of outside seating.

@Impala - Turnpike intended a "loaded gun" strategy: build the easier sections as they could and walk the project right up to the city, when they could play the "we've spent all of this money, and here we are" card.

Mon/Fay: RIP.

Eat n Park - local company, buys local produce, etc., support tons of charitable events, relatively healthy menu (seriously!), and way kid-friendly.

Plus, it's not Kings. Kings sucks.

While I love hearing news about the MFX not having funding to go through, I won't really ever feel at peace about it until it gets declared dead. I hate that it's basically shovel ready and could be built (if funding were made available) even though the road makes no sense. It was never a good idea, but it's an even worse idea now.

How much taxpayer money got paid to all those consultants and contractors when they built that park? What, 7 years ago? And now they want to tear it up? WTF.

Tear it up? I think their original plan when they redid Schenley Plaza was to include a restaurant in that location. It's just taken them a while to pick a company to make it happen.

Future plans for the site include the restoration of the Magee Memorial Fountain in front of the Carnegie Library, and a full-service restaurant in the Plaza's northwest corner.

http://www.pittsburghparks.org/schenleyplaza

With the right company and design it could be an outstanding addition and great for tourists and locals alike. I say get r done.

I couldn't tell from the article, are the art commission meetings public or closed?

Doug Cooper is a great dude. It would be outstanding if public input could entice E&P to develop a template for a really urban restaurant for public settings, really euro cafe, keep the family friendly menu and prices. Anybody have any "ins"?

I could envision a really kitschy "Eat'n Park" neon sign with the "Park" left intentionally burned out, just "Eat'n".

Oh, I see. This would be a restaurant with no parking lot, just on the edge of the park. Hm.

Sounds like a reasonable restaurant in an attractive setting with no additional parking: solid urbanism. It'll bring revenue to the Parks Department as well. Sounds good.

why take the "park" out of the name? just change the meaning. Eat'n (the) Park?

I could envision a really kitschy "Eat'n Park" neon sign with the "Park" left intentionally burned out, just "Eat'n".

Eat'n d'Park?

Damn it, Erok beat me

Eat n Park - local company, buys local produce, etc., support tons of charitable events, relatively healthy menu (seriously!), and way kid-friendly.

I agree with this. And Six Penn Kitchen downtown is consistently good. The good thing about having a company like Eat 'n Park open this restaruant is that they know what they are doing, and have the finances to keep it going at the start while folks figure out that it is there. Undercapitalization is the main reason small businesses fail in their first year and no business is more punishing of undercapitalization than a restaurant where you have to throw out (or donate) "inventory" you don't sell because it spoils. Having a well capitalized company do this means it will stick around long enough to do well.

Info about the Art Comission

dwillen, i like your d'park. it sorta adds a french, parisian feel to it. now we just hope they erect a kitchy eiffel tower in the plaza and make their wait staff wear berets, and we'll really be on the way to our paris of appalachia title

All excellent ideas!

Pittsburgh beret = babushka.

As per the restaurant's name I believe I read that it was to be called "Currant". By the way, how did this thread go from the MFSOB to the restaurant in Schenley Plaza? LOL. Also yes the original plans for the plaza called for a small restaurant space, so no one go lambasting Eat 'n Park or the Parks/City or anything.

I repeat: This road is a true zombie. No matter how many times you kill it, it still lives.

Here's the story.

Here's the quote that matters:

"Kirk said he supports raising the wholesale gas tax because a portion of its revenue is set aside for the Mon-Fayette Expressway, the Pittsburgh-to-West Virginia toll road. The final connections of the highway to Pittsburgh have stalled without funding for years."

And to reiterate what I said in an earlier post: "All they need is the money. And don't be too surprised if, in all this Act 44 post-mortem, that they find it."

@Stu - your characterization is kind of unfair to zombies.

I think of the Mon/Fay as more of a cockroach.

In that article stu just linked, I hate how they've got "Rendell said the state has 5,646 bridges that are rated "structurally deficient" and 10,000 miles of roadway behind schedule for repaving." And then they have that nimrod Kirk talking about setting aside taxes for MFX.

They're not even close to being able to maintain current infrastructure so why keep revisiting the MFX??? And if new infrastructure is to be built it should focus on rail and complete street networks, NOT a sprawl-way.

@ALMKLM, true enough. Cincinnati had to deal with a cockroach once [YouTube], as did Chicago with an eggplant.

"Olé? That's dumb." *reference to 1st link*

so i just read in this article about trying to resurrect I80 tolling that a portion of the wholesale gas tax goes to the MFE? WTF is that? how does that even happen?

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_678655.html

Joe Kirk has been pushing for that road for more than 20 years. A generation ago perhaps it was needed to resuscitate the Mon valley, but not today and certainly not tomorrow.

Also Barry Stout, state Senator who has been pushing for this highway, is retiring this year.

Every time I ride with my friend to his place on California University's campus, I admit that it's a great way to get there from Pittsburgh. On the other side of the coin though, I don't see it as much more than a fast way between the city and California with virtually no one else on it when I ride with him. It's almost a ghost highway.

Let's only hope that all its proponents retire (or worse) long before the money materializes for the project. Or the Turnpike Commission gets disbanded.

One year later, and here we are, with this damned road STILL leading the headlines.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/roadwork/s_746298.html

Recently appointed Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Chairman William K. Lieberman of Squirrel Hill called finishing the highway his top priority, saying it is vital to the region's economy.

"While it may be pie in the sky, I want to see (the highway) go all the way to Monroeville. We'll go mile marker by mile marker if we have to," Lieberman said.

The zombie lives. Kill the zombie.

I don't think this project can be killed. Since it's shovel ready they truly can just go mile by mile if they have to with no further sign-offs to do.

You know what's funny about the Bill Lieberman character? Williman Lieberman's business is in amusement, vending machines and ATMs

Apparently, selling arcade machines gives you the unique ability to manage the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

And his offhand comment of constructing the last section of MFSoB (thanks, Stu) mile by mile would turn $4Billion into $8Billion quite easily.

This moron, William Lieberman, is providing substantial fodder for those in Harrisburg who wish to dissolve the Commission and fold its assets into PennDOT.

substantial fodder for those in Harrisburg who wish to dissolve the Commission and fold its assets into PennDOT.

Um, what are the reasons for not doing that? They seem to have very much overlapping areas of competency. Expertise at managing toll booths?

Apparently, selling arcade machines gives you the unique ability to manage the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

i lol'd. hard.

Wait, you mean political appointees are supposed to be qualified for their positions?

Huh.

"Last week's opening was a 4-mile segment from Interstate 68 east of Morgantown, W.Va., to the Pennsylvania line. Built over rugged terrain, it cost more than $150 million."

That's $37.5 million. PER. MILE.

If anyone needs a reason for why the TPC will never fold into PaDOT there it is. The corruption is WHY it will continue to exist. Too much money to spread around with too little accountability.

(However, unless the Commonwealth can find a way to "privatize," ie: sell-off to a chummy corporate interest, ie: BIG DONOR, the TPC and all of it's flaws is here to stay.)

It's absurd.

Sloaps Apparently, selling arcade machines gives you the unique ability to manage the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

Experience with corruption?

To be fair, each requires making coins from paper money.

For those for whom this is a new thread, please review some of the posts above.

Then read this (new, 21 Dec 2012):

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/transportation/turnpike-commission-restores-plan-for-southern-beltway-667327/

THIS GODDAMNED ROAD CANNOT BE KILLED!

$48 million per mile?

what are they paving it with? solid gold bricks?

They're using money that should be better spent fixing what we already have. But the legislation enabling the funding was passed in 1991 after years and years of fighting to get the road passed, based on traffic analyses from the early 1980s, based on reasoning from the 1960s and 1970s.

It's passed all environmental challenges. All they've been waiting for is funding, and they're probably going to get it.

How do you stop this? It's a lot easier to change ink than bulldozers.

Let's see. 4 lane highway would take a million bricks per mile. I know that a gold brick would cost a lot more than $48. Restoration of brick roads cost from $13 to $17 per square foot. One mile of highway would be 264,000 square feet and cost us upwards of 4 and a half million dollars. Of course, that assuming we are refurbishing a brick road and not building from scratch.

It is expensive, I looked at some numbers for how much it normally costs to build a multi-lane rural highway (ftp://ftp.dot.state.fl.us/LTS/CO/Estimates/CPM/summary.pdf) and it is several million dollars per mile, not $48 million. I expect that there's something else feeding into the $48 million than simple construction costs.

I know shamefully little about this issue, but wild-guessing, I would think that property acquisition and /or right-of-way rights would far exceed actual construction costs, perhaps? Especially given that property owners on the published route are aware this is coming and see the cha$$$$ching?

My guess is that this will serve the burgeoning natural gas industry.

We will pay for it -- our taxes and our health.//end soapbox

[edit]

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/pa-ranks-just-after-texas-in-shale-jobs-667121/

Gosh, Pseuda, I was thinking if only the mountaintop-exploding industry and the fracking industry could get together with the highway building industry, this project might just be a $ wash. [sarcasm]

You left out gambling.

Doh!

Also, this highway might help get the fracking fluid closer to the rivers so it can be shipped downstream on barges for processing (sorry Mississippi).

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/17/usa-fracking-shipping-idUSL1E8NH7A520121217

I'm confident the fracking water will get to the rivers without the expressway.

@Mick +1.

Panera was replaced by a now larger Pamela's

last time I was past the old B&N it appeared as if there was some interior construction going on.

I understand IBM is moving into the old Barnes and Noble space in Squirrel Hill. They bought Vivisimo, the specialized search website just across the street, and I guess needed more nearby space. It's odd having meeting rooms in retail space like that, right behind picture windows from the street.

^Ha, so that's what's going on in that storefront. I noticed all the conference tables with conference phones & was hoping it would not be some sort of Engram debriefing chamber.

It's not Vivismo - yes they are on the third floor above RiteAid/Silk Elephant - yes they were bought by IBM - but it's the second floor guys - M*Modal who are expanding into the B&N space. I get to stay on the west side of the street but many of my friends are moving over. It will be interesting to see how we work out communication. And I don't know what's decided about bicycle storage there either!

Thanks for the correction!

Mick wrote:It it starts looking like it might come through for sure, I’d seriously considering buy property next to the GAP between Sutersville and Connellsville. Cager commuters will be salivating to live there.

You want freight moved, we have rivers and railroads. You need better commuting, bring back the PATrain and make transit more workable. You need better roads, fix what we have already. Lose any idea that any piece of this road is needed.

JaySherman5000 wrote:Where in the plans for the MFE does it include bulldozing the bikepath?

JaySherman5000 wrote:A second highway route to bypass the tunnel would allow some traffic to be diverted, alleviating the daily traffic jam into/out of the city.

StuInMcCandless wrote:They could, for a whole helluvalot less money, convert one lane of the Parkway East to an bus-only lane, and connect it directly to the East Busway. That third outbound lane starts almost exactly where the busway crosses the parkway. Right now, because of Edgewood’s intransigence against transit, East suburb buses all have to spend 10 minutes threading through brick streets in Wilkinsburg. Again: Make transit workable. That solves the traffic issues, which obviates the main argument for the tunnel bypass.

JaySherman5000 wrote:Neglecting the price tag for a moment, is there a concrete reason why another expressway into town should be immediately poo-pooed? If there is, I haven’t heard it. Anecdotes about “urban sprawl” don’t seem to weigh much against Census Data that shows urban growth and renewal is the current trend. Building a new road into town seems just as likely to spur movement into the city as it is to make people want to move away.

salty wrote: What good came of Westinghouse being lured to Cranberry?

salty wrote:It’s also pretty easy to get around the city without a car, without having to “man up”, whatever that means. Most people really mean “riding the bus (or a bike) is beneath me” when they say that. That’s really the root of the problem – too many people are convinced that driving is better than the alternatives. They’re wrong.

Drewbacca wrote:My main point is that a lot of people don’t want to take the time to learn a bunch of bus routes to figure out how to get around town once they are in town.

Drewbacca wrote:ou’re wrong to think that the reason people don’t use alternatives is because they think that driving is a better alternative. You need to get into the mindset of these people because to a good number of them driving isn’t the best-alternative… it’s the only alternative.

jonawebb wrote:One of the issues is that the Mon-Fay isn’t supposed to improve transportation within Pittsburgh; it’s supposed to open the Mon valley to development.

AtLeastMyKidsLoveMe wrote:Hm. Ok. A multi-lane, express highway is going to connect to a two lane (as in, one lane in each direction) cattle chute with no on/off ramps that will dump how many cars into downtown Pittsburgh at the end of Grant Street?

jonawebb wrote:the Southern Beltway doesn’t bother me as much as the Mon-Fay per se.

StuInMcCandless wrote:Don’t get complacent. It’s all been approved, and this merely indicates that the funding stream is now in place. Brimmeier said he would go mile by mile, if necessary, to build the damn thing.

aboykowycz wrote:They have always and will only ever be about politics and pork.

edmonds59 wrote:More highways don’t alleviate traffic and bottlenecks, the GENERATE them. More roads, more traffic. See “Los Angeles”.

Drewbacca wrote:Given the frequent bottle necks at both Fort Pitt Tunnel and Sq. Hill Tunnel for westward traffic headed towards the airport, I disagree.

Adding highway lanes to deal with traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to cure obesity.

jonawebb wrote:That’s the exact argument Robert Moses used to justify building more and more highways and bridges.

JaySherman5000 wrote:The environment is different, therefore, you cannot guarantee the same result.

jonawebb wrote:That’s the exact argument Robert Moses used to justify building more and more highways and bridges. And each time he built a new bridge, it would relieve traffic congestion for a month or two, and then it would start creeping back up, not only there but on other bridges, until it was more than before.

It’s still COMPLETELY unclear to me why they were allowed to do that, since in theory the feds are vehemently clear that tolls collected on interstate highways can only be used for the maintenance of those roads.

Join us at the public meeting where PennDOT Secretary and STC Chair, Leslie S. Richards will discuss the 2017 Transportation Performance Report and answer your questions live. The meeting is part of Pennsylvania's Twelve Year Transportation Program update process. We need your help to tell us your transportation needs.

That 14-mile segment from Jefferson Hills to Monroeville, which has a revised completion estimate of $2 billion, was put on hold last month by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. The planning commission will decide in June whether the project continues or gets placed back on the shelf, where the former turnpike commission chairman predicted last year it would die. ... Last week, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said he would drop his opposition to the project since the money can’t be transferred to other regional transportation needs. But the final decision will be made by the 10-county regional planning commission, where officials from outside the Mon Valley have questioned the need for the highway.

Meanwhile, the communities along the proposed route will never develop because of this looming threat.

It’s true. The communities along the route, like Turtle Creek and Braddock, get negative benefit from this road. There’s no exit, and you have these giant concrete pillars carrying highway traffic. As Turtle Creek Mayor Kelley Kelley (!) said, “We’ll become a town people drive over.”