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March 2, 2001

TRAFFIC ADVISORY:
Northbound Lanes on 2.2-Mile Stretch of California Toll Road to 
Close Monday, March 12

Effective Monday, March 12 and continuing until late May, the northbound entrance and exit ramps at the Elco interchange on Turnpike 43 (California Toll Road) in southeastern Washington County will be closed for reconstruction.

As a result, motorists will be unable to enter the expressway at Elco to go north and motorists northbound on the expressway will be unable to exit at Elco.

Detours will be posted. For northbound traffic on the expressway, the detour will be to exit at the California interchange and take SR 2083 to Pa. Route 88 to SR 2033. For motorists wishing to enter the expressway to go north, the detour will be SR 2033 to Pa. Route 88 to SR 2083.

Repairs to the northbound entrance and exit ramps at Elco are part of a reconstruction of the oldest part of the growing Mon/Fayette Expressway system. The reconstruction project, between Milepost 32.4 and 34.6, is contracted to Norwin Construction of Irwin in the amount of $5,968,447.

Crossover lanes were built last fall to channel all traffic to one side of the divided highway while the other set of double lanes is rebuilt.

Starting March 12, the northbound lanes will be reconstructed while two-directional traffic (one lane northbound and one lane southbound) is maintained in the southbound lanes. An opposite configuration will be utilized for reconstruction of the southbound lanes after work on the northbound lanes is finished.

The existing concrete pavement structure that is 20 inches deep will be replaced with an asphalt pavement structure that will be a minimum of 24 inches deep. The project is to conclude by August 24, 2001.

This 2.2-miles of Mon/Fayette Expressway system was built by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) between June 1976 and January 1980.

PENNDOT also constructed the balance of the six-mile expressway linking Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40, which opened as part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike system on October 12, 1990.

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