Kathy Liebler                         Director of Public Information

    C   O   M   M   I   S   S   I   O   N                N   E   W   S             R   E   L   E   A   S   E

    Contact: Joe Agnello (412) 925-5462                         December 16, 1997

LATEST AWARD BOOSTS VALUE OF MON/FAYETTE EXPRESSWAY CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS TO OVER $188 MILLION

(ATTENTION RADIO STATIONS: VOICE ACTUALITIES RELATED TO THIS NEWS RELEASE ARE AVAILABLE. PLEASE CALL TIBS, THE TURNPIKE’S INFORMATION BROADCAST SERVICE AT 1-800-563-5425.)

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission today awarded New Enterprise Stone & Lime Company of Bedford County a $36.8 million contract for Mon/Fayette Expressway construction work in Washington County. This latest contract raises the total amount of construction contracts for the Mon/Fayette Transportation Projects to more than $188 million.

New Enterprise was the lowest of six bidders for Construction Section 52C1 in Fallowfield and Carroll Townships, which includes construction of 2.6 miles of expressway mainline, the Coyle Curtain Road interchange, three bridges, and one toll collection facility on each of two ramps at the interchange. Bids were opened on November 18.

Dual steel plate girder bridges 350 to 400 feet long and 33 feet high will be built to carry the expressway over Coyle Curtain Road. A single steel plate girder structure about 300 feet long and 17 feet high will be built to carry Walnut Ridge Road over the expressway.

Executive Director John T. Durbin said "Today’s action by the Commission concludes a year of unprecedented construction contract commitments for the Mon/Fayette Transportation Project." He explained that the most recent construction contract is the eighth Mon/Fayette construction contract awarded by the commission since June 3 of this year and the twelfth overall since October 1994. The 12 construction contracts awarded to date total more than $188.5 million. Prior to 1997, the commission had awarded four Mon/Fayette construction contracts totaling nearly $15 million.

A breakdown of the $188.5 million worth of construction contracts awarded to date shows:

• seven contracts totaling $104.1 million for the 17-mile Mon/Fayette Expressway project between Interstate 70 in Fallowfield Township, Washington County and Pa. Route 51 in Jefferson Borough, Allegheny County. The I-70-to-Route 51 Project is targeted for completion in late 2001.
• five contracts totaling $84.4 million for the eight-mile Pennsylvania leg of the Mon/Fayette Expressway’s 12-mile "Mason Dixon Link" between Interstate 68 in Monongalia County, West Virginia and Pa. Route 43 in Georges Township, Fayette County. The Pennsylvania section of the Mason Dixon Link is targeted for completion in late 1999.

Mashuda Corporation, headquartered in Cranberry Township, Butler County, won five of the first 12 Mon/Fayette construction contracts awarded by the turnpike Commission. Its five contracts total nearly $70.5 million.

New Enterprise Stone & Lime Company of New Enterprise, Bedford County, has two contracts totaling $55.2 million.

Other general construction contracts have been awarded to Dick Corporation of Jefferson Borough, Allegheny County ($28.9 million), Elmo Greer & Sons of London, Ky. ($26.6 million), Charles J. Merlo, Inc. of Mineral Point, Cambria County ($6.2 million), Swenglish & Sons, Inc. of Smithfield, Fayette County ($664,875 to construct replacement wetlands for the Mason Dixon Link), and Alex E. Paris Contracting of Atlasburg, Washington County ($378,236 to construct replacement wetland for the I-70-to-Route 51 Project).

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