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C O M M I S S I O N N E W S R E L E A S E |
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Contact:
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Joe Agnello |
June 06, 2005 |
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The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will host an open house from 5 to 8 pm Thursday, June 9 at the Hempfield Township Municipal Building to show current plans for a Total Reconstruction of Interstate 76 between Milepost 67 and Milepost 75. Representatives of the Turnpike Commission, its design consultant (Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc.) and design manager (SAI Consulting Engineers, Inc.) will be available to explain details of the project and answer questions. Interested parties can attend anytime between 5 and 8 pm. Informational handouts will include an overview of the project, which traverses North Huntingdon and Hempfield Townships and Arona and New Stanton Boroughs. Design work for the rebuild is ongoing. The first construction contract, for the replacement of overhead bridges carrying Wendel Road and Madison Road, is expected to be awarded in late 2005. There will be five general construction contracts altogether. All work is expected to conclude by Thanksgiving 2010. The eight-mile stretch of Turnpike between Irwin and New Stanton will be widened to increase the number of travel lanes each direction from two to three and the median between the eastbound and westbound lanes will be widened from 10 to 26 feet. While this work will occur largely within the Turnpike’s existing right-of-way, it is anticipated that the Commission will be acquiring pieces of approximately 49 properties for the additional space required. Occupants of four homes within the expanded right-of-way area will be relocated. A two-mile stretch of the original Turnpike mainline between Milepost 70 and Milepost 72 will be reconstructed on a new alignment to eliminate two undesirable curves. Other aspects of the project include a redesign of surface drainage and the construction of four storm water management ponds; replacement of overhead bridges carrying Wendel Road, Madison Road, Greensburg Road (Pa. Route 136), Glenn Fox Road and Eisaman Road; replacement of bridges carrying I-76 over Liberty Hill Road and Wentsler Road; relocation of a 600-foot stretch of Eisaman Run; and construction of a new culvert over Little Sewickley Creek within the realignment area. Seanor Church Road (State Route 3075) in Hempfield Township, which the Turnpike now crosses over, will instead cross over I-76 on a new overhead bridge. Also, a Turnpike crossing for Center Avenue in New Stanton Borough will be eliminated. Total costs are estimated at $110 million. The goals of the Turnpike’s mainline reconstruction projects are to enhance the durability and/or capacity of the highway and improve safety. Hempfield Township Municipal Building is located in Greensburg-Hempfield Business Park, east of Turnpike 66 along Woodward Drive just south of Route 136. |
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P.O.
Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676 Phone: (717) 939-9551 Fax: (717) 986-9649 |
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