Construction beginning on Route 119 interchange project
Notoriously dangerous section of highway in northern Fayette being improved for safety
Construction is starting on a nearly $54 million project that has been years in the making to improve a notoriously dangerous section of Route 119 in northern Fayette County.
Crews are beginning the bulk of the work on the Route 119 McClure/Kingview Interchange project straddling Bullskin and Upper Tyrone townships, and will close two nearby roads Monday through the end of April during the initial stage of construction.
The $53.9 million project will eliminate two traffic lights on that stretch of the highway, while building a new interchange, overpass, connecting road and roundabout to make the half-mile stretch of highway safer following decades of serious car crashes in the area.
The state Department of Transportation has been preparing for construction for more than a decade with several public meetings over the years soliciting feedback on what has been dubbed a “safety improvement project.”
At least 11 people have been killed and numerous others injured in accidents in that section of Route 119 going back decades, most recently a motorcyclist who died in a three-vehicle crash in March 2024. Many crashes involve rear-end collisions due to the lack of merge lanes on Route 119 at the two intersections with Kingview Road and McClure Road, along with stop lights in both locations.
The project was originally scheduled to begin in 2019 and take four years to complete, but it has been delayed until now. Site preparation began in the fall and drainage work started in February. But the bulk of construction is commencing in the spring, with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
“(PennDOT) has been working with Fayette County and the community to plan this very important safety project for several years,” said Bill Beaumariage, who is PennDOT’s assistant district executive for construction. “When finished, this project will eliminate the at-grade crossings of Route 119 at McClure and Kingview Roads by providing a grade-separated interchange similar to others along this corridor. This will greatly improve safety at this intersection.”
A portion of Mt. Pleasant Road, which runs parallel to the highway, will be closed to traffic between Prittstown and Airport roads from Monday until the end of April, while McClure Road will be closed from Mt. Pleasant Road to its connection point with Route 119 during that time. Traffic will be detoured using Route 119, Route 819 and Crossroads Road to get around the closures.
The overall project will eliminate the traffic light and the crossing intersection on Route 119 at Crossroads and Kingview roads, with dedicated merge lanes in both directions. The traffic light and intersection on Route 119 at McClure Road will also be eliminated, and merge will be built in both directions to protect motorists exiting and merging onto the highway. Concrete median barriers will be installed to divide the highway and eliminate cross traffic in those areas.
About a quarter-mile in between those former intersections, an interchange with an on-ramp and off-ramp will be built on the northbound lanes side of Route 119, leading to a “connector road,” giving motorists an alternate way around the area.
Kendi Road, which is also known as Route 791, will be lengthened in order to lead to a new overpass taking traffic over Route 119. On the other side of the overpass on the eastern side of Route 119, a roundabout will be built connecting traffic to Mt. Pleasant Road.
More information on the reconstruction project can be found on PennDOT’s website at www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot. Once there, click on the “Projects Near You” tab and then select “District 12” before scrolling to the Route 119 McClure/Kingview Interchange Project. The website has updates on the project and an interactive video of what the new interchange will look like for motorists.