May 9, 2008 7 min read

The state Department of Transportation has released an update of projects in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties. The updates are as follows:

Fayette County

Route 119 restoration – This project includes improvements to Route 119 from the Sixth Street Bridge to the intersection of Route 119 and Route 1035 (Crawford Avenue) in Connellsville and Bullskin and Connellsville townships. The project includes resurfacing, shoulder, guardrail, drainage adjustments and signal upgrades. The contractor for the $2.6 million project is Derry Construction.

Update: Southbound traffic is in the right lane. The northbound 119 is in the right lane.

Route 40 – This project includes road widening and resurfacing of U.S. Route 40, the realignment and construction of Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road and the placement of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Route 40 and Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road in Wharton Township. During the project, traffic and access to the businesses will be maintained. The contractor for the $1.7 million project is Donegal Construction Co.

Update: Construction activities continue off of the roadway. During this operation, there might be minor delays as machinery moves in and out of the area.

Dunlap Creek bridge replacement – This project is a bridge replacement on Route166 in Redstone and Luzerne townships. The two-span bridge will be widened and the approach roadway will be reconstructed to safely tie into the widened structure. Traffic will be maintained on the road during construction. The contractor for the $1.5 million project is Carmen Paliotta Contractor Inc.

Update: Traffic signals will become operational in a couple of weeks. Until then, only minor work will be scheduled on the project.

Georges Creek/Fairchance Bridge – This project is a bridge replacement just north of the railroad crossing and extends north to the intersection of Lyons Avenue and Green Street with Route 857. The project consists of the full replacement of the existing structure and associated approach road. The concrete T-beam bridge will be replaced with a box culvert structure. Route 857 will be closed to traffic at times during the construction and a signed detour will be in place. The project is scheduled to be completed by mid-August. The contractor on the $749,672 project is C H& D Enterprises Inc.

Update: The Route 857 is currently open to traffic. The contractor plans to start work shortly, at which time the road will be closed to traffic and the detour will be effect. Traffic is scheduled to resume over the new structure in August.

Rolling Hills Estate Bridge – The bridge deck replacement work is continuing on Rolling Hills Estate Bridge (Route 1022) in North Union Township. The bridge is located between Bute Road (Route 1051) and Gallatin Avenue Extension and it carries Rolling Hills Estate Road over Route 119. The project includes the removal and replacement of the fascia beam and the deck and will be completed late this month. Both the bridge and Route 119 will have traffic restrictions that change throughout the project timeframe. The contractor for the $338,367 project is John Gulisek Construction Co.

Update: The work on the deck of the bridge continues. Motorists might see slight delays.

Route 21 – This project begins at the Route 166 intersection and proceed east about two miles 1,000 feet past the intersection with state Route 3013. It includes concrete and bituminous patching, resurfacing, shoulders, minor drainage and guardrail adjustments. A traffic signal will be replaced and a new concrete median divisor will be installed providing left turning lanes at the intersection of Route 21 and Route 3013. Construction is expected to begin in June and conclude by November. The contractor on the $ 2.8 million is A. Folino Construction Inc.

Matthew Drive upgrade – This project is located in South Union Township. Work on Matthew Drive begins at the intersection with state Route 21 and ends at a point about 1,000 feet south of the intersection with New Salem Road where previous widening had occurred. The total length of the work on Matthew Drive is 1,760 feet. In addition to Matthew Drive, work also will occur on the Route 119 on/off ramps beginning at the intersection with Route 21 and ending at a point about 900 feet from Route 21 new where the on/off ramps split. Minor paving will occur on Route 21 in the intersection area of Matthew Drive and the Route 119 ramps. The scope of work for the project involves widening Matthew Drive from an existing three-lane road to a five-lane road and also minor widening on the Route 119 on/off ramps to accommodate the additional through lanes being added to Matthew Drive. Work also will need to occur to tie into the intersecting roads (Daniel Drive) and driveways of Lowe’s, Cherry Tree Square and K-Mart) with the new pavement structure on Matthew Drive. A minimum of one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained on Matthew Drive during construction. However, short-term detours will be in place when work occurs to construct the new tie in for the intersecting roads at Daniel Drive, Lowe’s, Cherry Tree Square and K-Mart. The contractor on the $2.5 million project is Donegal Construction Co.

Point Marion Bridge – This is a bridge replacement project over the Monongahela River and it includes the replacement of an existing, five-span, 810-foot bridge (Albert Gallatin Bridge) on a new alignment. The bridge is located between Greene and Fayette counties, about 1.5 miles north of the West Virginia state line. The existing bridge is on a 90-degree skew and carries Route 88, which runs north and south, over the river. Route 88 ties into Route 119 in Point Marion, connecting Uniontown in the north to Morgantown, W.Va., in the south. The project began in January and is scheduled to complete in the fall of 2009.

The contractor for the $20.9 million project is Swank Associated Companies Inc. of New Kensington. Traffic will be maintained on the existing bridge while the new structure is built adjacent and upstream. Motorists may encounter short-term traffic changes during the project such as when the road is realigned.

Update: Work is progressing for the new bridge. PennDOT asks motorists to drive carefully through the job site. Work is progressing, including preparing the foundation for a cofferdam on Greene County side and a cofferdam on Fayette County side.

Greene County

Route 21 – This project is located on Route 21 in Center Township, beginning near the intersection of the Jacobs Run Road (Route 3007); and continuing east for about 1.3 miles. This project will end about 600 feet east of the Rock Hill Road intersection. The project consists of bituminous widening of the existing pavement, milling and resurfacing, drainage, guardrail, signing and pavement markings. Traffic will be maintained during the entire project. Flagging operations will be used to control traffic during one-lane operations. The prime contractor for the $1.1 million project is Golden Eagle Construction.

Update: Guardrail removal will occur next week.

Westmoreland County

West Tech Drive -The $13.5 million Route 119 interchange project in East Huntingdon includes the construction of a new interchange located near the Westmoreland County Intermodal Center. The contractor for the project is John Gulisek Construction Co. of Mount Pleasant. It will be completed this year.

Update: The Route 119 southbound lane closure will remain in effect until around Tuesday to allow for concrete to cure. At that time, both lanes will be reopened to traffic. The northbound closure will remain as is until the deep drop-offs are backfilled and the new guardrail is placed. Route 3092 is currently being paved on both approaches to the new bridge and work on the new northbound on and off ramps is almost complete. The new ramps and the new bridge will be opened to traffic in about two weeks.