An eight-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) between the Irwin and New Stanton interchanges in Westmoreland County will be closed for about six hours, until approximately 6 am Sunday, July 22, so that crews can set steel girders for PennDOT’s new Center Avenue overpass.

     This work originally was scheduled last weekend but postponed by the PennDOT contractor.       

     Eastbound traffic will be forced off of the Turnpike at Irwin and directed around the construction site via U.S. Route 30 East and Turnpike 66 South. All westbound traffic will have to exit the Turnpike at New Stanton and take Turnpike 66 North to U.S. Route 30 West to re-entry of the Turnpike westbound at Irwin.

     Either direction, the detour is among the shortest and simplest between any entry and exit points on the Pennsylvania Turnpike system.   

     The new overpass, expected to be ready for traffic by Thanksgiving, will carry a realigned Center Avenue (State Route 3111) over Interstate 76 to a new four-way intersection with Arona Road and North Center Avenue. The realigned Center Avenue will replace a section of Old Center Avenue, between Westinghouse Drive and Arona Road, that was closed permanently on February 26.