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

Contact:  

Carl DeFebo, 717-939-9551, ext. 2934

March 15, 2002

TRAVEL ADVISORY:
Westbound Single Lane at Allegheny Tunnel
Will Remain through Early this Evening 
Construction work was prolonged due to rain delays earlier this week.

HARRISBURG, PA.  The Pennsylvania Turnpike announced that a westbound single-lane pattern approaching the Allegheny Tunnel in Somerset County will be in place today until approximately 5 p.m.

The westbound only single-lane condition starts at milepost 123.6 (less than a half mile before the Allegheny Tunnel) and ends at milepost 117. Because this single-lane pattern stretches through the Allegheny Tunnel, motorists should be aware of the likelihood of delays — potentially an hour or more — beginning at 1 p.m. and building until the pattern is lifted early this evening.

Since vehicles are prohibited from stopping inside the tunnel for safety reasons, Pennsylvania State Police will monitor the tunnel portal and allow traffic to flow through the tunnel in intervals, if it becomes necessary.

Westbound motorists approaching the Allegheny Tunnel today should look out for slow-moving or stopped traffic that will likely occur due to the heavy weekend traffic volumes.

During this single-lane closure, crews will be placing temporary barrier in preparation for the total reconstruction of the Turnpike between milepost 109-122. The barrier-placement work — originally scheduled to stop at 10 a.m. today — was extended because poor weather forced a work stoppage earlier this week.

For up-to-date information, the Turnpike advises approaching motorists to tune car radios to 1640AM or 1610AM when alerted by variable message boards. In addition, real-time traffic conditions are posted on the Turnpike website, www.paturnpike.com. Project-specific information is available by clicking on the “construction/expansion” button and selecting “Somerset Reconstruction.” Four real-time traffic cams can be viewed under “Visual Traffic Report.” In addition, a toll-free project hotline is now open at 1-866-822-6215.

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