Need for new road to prison discussed at SPC meeting
The need for a new road to accommodate the 700 staff members and other visitors to the new maximum-security prison in Luzerne Township was a common theme during a meeting on Fayette County’s long-range transportation and economic development plan. The public hearing was held at Penn State Fayette Campus to discuss the county’s section of the plan with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a regional transportation alliance. Members of the county’s public participation panel (PPP and SPC officials hosted the hearing.
Luzerne Township Supervisor Ron DeSalvo read from three letters, all from people who support construction of a new road, FAECO Drive, to serve the prison. The road is named after the Fayette Expressway Completion Organization, which has been active in keeping the Uniontown-to-Brownsville link of the Mon/Fayette Expressway moving forward.
In reading a lengthy letter that he wrote, DeSalvo spoke about the need for FAECO Drive over a proposal to upgrade Alicia Heights Road. DeSalvo said that private property owners have come forward to express interest in dedicating the right of way for the extension of FAECO Drive and for the development of an industrial park and residential areas.
DeSalvo asked that FAECO Drive, the future extension of FAECO Drive to Route 4020 and the proposed business park and industrial areas be included in the long-range plan.
A letter from FAECO executive committee Chairman Jim Marzullo endorsed these four projects: Brownsville-to-Uniontown link of the Mon/Fayette Expressway; early construction of the Mon/Fayette Expressway Monongahela River Bridge, from Centerville to Luzerne Township; FAECO Drive from the Luzerne Township interchange of the Mon/Fayette Expressway to Route 4022; and FAECO Drive extension to SCI-Fayette.
Marzullo wrote that all of the projects will provide much safer highways “for an area that is now using highways that were built for Model T-style vehicles.”
Another letter, from SCI-Fayette deputy superintendent Mark A. Krysevig, was in support of FAECO Drive and FAECO Drive extension. Krysevig wrote that the roads will provide easy and safe access to the institution for staff, supplies and emergency response vehicles.
Chuck DiPietro, transportation planning director for the SPC, explained that this is the first time Fayette County has been included in the transportation side of the plan. The county was a member only for economic development and joined the transportation side last year.
“This is much, much more than transportation,” DiPietro said, adding that economic investments depend on transportation, and good transportation can lead to economic investments. By law, a long-range plan must be reviewed every three years and must forecast at least 20 years ahead.
On the transportation side, new capacity projects include expanding the Walnut Hill Road exchange at the Uniontown Bypass into a full diamond; construction of the new road, FAECO Drive, to provide access to the new prison; an extension of Matthew Drive in South Union Township; and the Uniontown-to-Brownsville link of the expressway.
The plan, which forecasts developments into the year 2030, is scheduled for approval by the full SPC board next month. The SPC includes the counties of Allegheny, (along with the city of Pittsburgh), Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland. Lawrence County recently joined, and its inclusion will be handled separately.
Since the SPC is a regional transportation alliance, only projects included in the long-range plan are eligible for federal funding. While the main focus is on transportation and economic development projects, DiPietro explained the plan has 10 sections, including economic development, highways, public transit, freight, airports, pedestrian and bicycle, intelligent transportation systems, finance, vision/goals and objections and forecast.
Later, during public comment, Luzerne Township resident Rod Schad cautioned everyone to take DeSalvo’s words with a grain of salt. Schad accused DeSalvo of misleading the people of Luzerne Township before construction of the prison and then was pictured in the newspaper with legislators in announcing plans to build the prison.
Schad said that DeSalvo didn’t give the people the opportunity to comment on the prison and sneaked the prison deal in.
Tammy Shell, executive director of the county office of planning, zoning and community development, said since the prison is built, Luzerne Township has to take a proactive approach to ensure that the prison doesn’t have a negative effect on the area.
Anyone wishing to comment on the proposed projects in the plan has until the end of the month. The entire draft plan can be viewed at www.spcregion.org, under the public participation link, and comments must be submitted by Monday by mail, fax or e-mail.