Pennyslvania Turnpike Commission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Joe Agnello
(724) 755-5262
(724) 755-5142 fax
E-mail: jagnello@paturnpike.com

March 17, 2006

TRAFFIC ADVISORY

FOUR-HOUR CLOSURE OF TURNPIKE BETWEEN CRANBERRY AND BUTLER VALLEY SCHEDULED FOR MIDNIGHT SATURDAY

A 10.7-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) between the Cranberry and Butler Valley interchanges north of Pittsburgh will be closed from midnight Saturday until 4 am Sunday for demolition work that's part of an overhead bridge replacement project.

Eastbound traffic will be detoured onto Interstate 79 North via the Cranberry Connector at Exit 28. Detoured traffic will take I-79 North for about a quarter-mile to Pa. Route 228 East, at the Cranberry/Mars exit. Route 228 will take detoured traffic to Pa. Route 8 South and re-entry to the
Turnpike at the Butler Valley interchange.

Westbound traffic on I-76 will be forced off of the Turnpike at Butler Valley (Exit 39) and channeled to Pa. Route 8 North. Detoured westbound traffic will then be directed to Pa. Route 228 West and re-entry to I-76 West in Cranberry.

The closure will allow crews to remove steel beams from a bridge at Milepost 37.5 that carries Hardt Road over I-76 in Richland Township, Allegheny County.

A single-lane pattern for eastbound and westbound traffic traversing the construction site will be in effect from 4 pm Saturday until 11 am Sunday.

Hardt Road (State Route 4065) was closed at its Turnpike crossing on March 1. The new pre-stressed concrete beam bridge is expected to open in November.

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2200 North Center Avenue, New Stanton, PA 15672-9602    Phone: (724) 755-5262    Fax: (724) 755-5142