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, (724) 755-5262, (724) 755-5142 fax
                  e-mail: jagnello@paturnpike.com

July 14, 1999

 

TRAFFIC ADVISORY:
ROUTE 51 REBUILD IN JEFFERSON HILLS
ONE INTERSECTION TO REOPEN, ANOTHER TO CLOSE PERMANENTLY

Old Clairton Road's southern tie-in to Pa. Route 51 on the west side of Route 51 at Large in Jefferson Hills Borough, Allegheny County, will be reopened by late afternoon on Thursday, July 15. It has been closed since March 19.

Also, the Old Lewis Run Road intersection on the west side of Route 51 a short distance north of the aforementioned Old Clairton Road tie-in will be closed permanently on Friday, July 16.

Non-truck traffic has been using Old Lewis Run Road to access Old Clairton Road from Route 51. As of Friday, the only access to Old Lewis Run Road will be from Old Clairton Road.

The Old Clairton Road intersection is one of five intersections within 2.3 miles of Route 51 that are being reconstructed by the Turnpike Commission as part of an $18.6 million improvement project. Route 51 is being widened to make it safer and more accommodative to traffic that will be moving on and off the new Mon/Fayette Expressway.

A new four-way traffic signal has been installed at Large to serve Old Clairton Road and a private drive providing access to two properties on the east side of Route 51. In addition, a new box culvert some 600 feet long with no weight limit has been erected to channel Lewis Run under Old Clairton Road.

Port Authority of Allegheny County will reestablish a bus stop at the intersection of Route 51 and Old Clairton Road later in the summer, after construction of a new platform and sidewalk concludes.

Construction updates and other information about the Route 51 rebuild are available on the PTC’s Web site at www.paturnpike.com. From the home page, go to Construction/Expansion and then click on Rt. 51 Construction. One of the features on the Rt. 51 Construction pages allows for the viewing of still photos that show traffic conditions on Route 51 from three vantage points. The still photos are updated every 60 seconds.

###

 P.O. Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676         Phone: (717) 939-9551         Fax: (717) 986-9649