Public comments on potential growth around toll road interchanges
REDSTONE TWP. – About 30 people provided their ideas on growth and development around the six interchanges planned for the Brownsville to Uniontown section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway Tuesday. The meeting at the Redstone Recreation Center was the first in a series of community meetings designed to find out what the residents want at the interchanges.
“We’re not here to dispute the Mon/Fayette Expressway. We’re not here to dispute the route that was chosen,” said Tammy Shell, the director of the county’s Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development.
Shell said the series of public meetings will be over and evaluated before the county finishes with its rezoning ordinances, so the public input will be considered in the county plans.
“The main purpose that we’re here for is to get your input: whether you want development, don’t want development or what kind of development at each interchange,” said Erica Todd of Pashek Associates, the consulting firm conducting the meetings and tabulating the information.
The first suggestion offered ended up being one of the apparent top four priorities of those attending the meeting.
“Interchanges one and two would be prime regions for development because of the new prison going in,” said Jim Marzullo.
Marzullo suggested larger commercial developments such as a hotel and a grocery store for the area.
The first two interchanges are on Route 88 in Washington County and in Luzerne Township in the area of Bull Run Road and Telegraph Road. The other interchanges are Brownsville-Redstone in the area of Colonial School, Searights, North Union Township and the eastern terminus at Route 119 and Route 51.
There was also a consensus that the development at each intersection should reflect what each of the communities housing the interchanges want them to look like and that growth should be controlled to maintain the rural character of the area. Those in attendance also emphasized the importance of infrastructure development at each of the interchanges.
“It’s a limited access highway, so there will be opportunities at all of the interchanges,” said Jim Saylor. “Focus on industrial development, something that will bring jobs.
Harry Hall, an engineer who previously worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, noted that the road has been designed with numerous purposes in mind, including improving safety on the existing roads and promotion of the National Road for tourism. Hall said the Route 40 Connector that will go from Brownsville to the Redstone interchange was designed specifically for commercial development.
“Fayette County is rich with historic resources. When people come to Fayette County, they come for the open space. We don’t need massive development right at the interchange,” Hall said.
Robbie Matesic of Benatec, one of the firms that has worked on the expressway design over the years, said her firm did a study to preserve the view shed of the National Road, so development of the expressway would not interfere with tourism development for the National Road Heritage Corridor.
“European nations that rely on tourism have a strong agricultural appearance,” said Ed Rinkoff. “If you destroy agriculture, you’re going to destroy tourism.”
“Our main concern should be bringing jobs into this area,” said Patrick Shumar.
Pashek Associates will tabulate the information gathered at the meeting for further consideration. The next public meeting on interchange development will be held Monday, March 10 at 6 p.m. at the South Union Township Municipal Building.