Your first chance to weigh in on the $2B Mon-Fayette Expressway Expansion

Inform yourself and comment on upcoming transportation projects

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is seeking your input and has opened a public comment period for Air Quality Conformity Determination and proposed amendments to Mapping the Future: The Southwestern PA Plan and the 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program (2017-2020 TIP).

Basically, these are projects that agencies are looking to obtain public funds and push through, but need to first collect public comment. For example, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is looking to expand the Mon-Fayette Expressway at a cost of over $2B. In order to obtain this money, they need to get this project listed on the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to begin requesting funds. Once projects are on the TIP, it is difficult to remove them.

Two public meetings will be held to present the details and scope of the proposed amendments.  At these meetings, interested parties will have the opportunity to review information on the project, and ask questions of representatives from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, PennDOT, SPC, and other project partners.

Mark your calendars:

Meeting #1: Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
Peters Township Municipal Building // 610 E. McMurray Road McMurray, PA 15317

Meeting #2: Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
Monroeville Public Library // 4000 Gateway Campus Boulevard Monroeville, PA 15146

Written comments may also be submitted to comments@spcregion.org and must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 10, 2017.

Topics for discussion include:

Mon-Fayette Expressway (MFE)

The MFE from PA Route 51 to I-376 is the final piece to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s 74 mile MFE system that will allow continuous travel from West Virginia to I-376 (Parkway East) in Monroeville. This segment is the fourth and final segment of the MFE projects. The 14 mile long, four-lane, limited access, tolled expressway will begin at the current terminus of the MFE at PA Route 51 in Jefferson Hills and run northeasterly, crossing the Monongahela River in the City of Duquesne, connecting to I-376 in Monroeville. The estimated project cost is $2.16 billion.

I-79 Widening

This project will widen I-79 Northbound from two to three lanes, beginning just north of the Southpointe Interchange in Cecil Township, Washington County to just north of the Safety Rest Areas near the Alpine Road overpass in South Fayette Township, Allegheny County.  The project consists of approximately 3.01 miles of widening; approximately 1.85 miles are in Washington County and 1.16 miles are in Allegheny County.  The estimated project cost is $23.1 million.

Air Quality Conformity Determination

Additional information on the Air Quality Determination and the proposed amendments to the 2017-2020 TIP and Mapping the Future is available for public review online beginning February 8th, at www.spcregion.org, at the offices of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Allegheny County Department of Economic Development, Washington County Planning Commission, and public libraries located in Allegheny and Washington Counties.

Comment on the Projects

There are three ways to provide comment: online, at a public meeting, or by mail. Written comments may also be submitted to comments@spcregion.org, by mail to SPC Comments at Two Chatham Center, Suite 500, 112 Washington Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or by fax to (412) 391-9160.

All comments must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 10, 2017.

Upon consideration of public comments received, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission will consider action on the Air Quality Conformity Determination and adoption of the proposed TIP and Mapping the Future amendments at their meeting at 4:30 p.m., on March 20, 2017. This meeting will be held at Two Chatham Center, 112 Washington Place, 4th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.


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