Motorists urged to drive carefully in I-70 construction zone
The state Department of Transportation urges drivers to be alert and slow down as they navigate the construction zone on Interstate 70 in South Strabane Township as crews prepare to start work on a new interchange at Murtland Avenue.
Work began in September to construct the new diverging diamond interchange at the Murtland exit off Route 19. The diverging diamond interchange design requires traffic to cross over and switch lanes on Route 19, with traffic signals directing flow to allow drivers to pass through the area or get on I-70 in either direction.
The traffic pattern currently in effect will continue until work begins in earnest in the spring, said Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for PennDOT.
“We are maintaining four lanes of traffic on the highway, but it has been pushed out to the side where the shoulders had been to allow crews to work in the median behind a barrier,” Faieta said. “Drivers should use caution because the speed limit is 45 mph and there are stop signs and stop bars at the end of the ramps onto the highway.”
Faieta said they talked with state police Lt. Douglas Bartoe, patrol section supervisor at Troop B in Washington, about crashes that have been occurring in the construction zone.
“Right now, we don’t know if there are any more crashes than before work started,” Faieta said. “But since there is no shoulder in the construction area, traffic is getting tied up because the vehicles can’t be moved off to the side.”
Faieta said the situation will be monitored.
Work also is being done on Route 19 so temporary ramps can be built in anticipation of work to start in the spring.
“When we start up again, we will be taking northbound Route 19 and putting it on southbound Route 19,” Faieta added. “Then we will rebuild Route 19 northbound.”
Barriers on the highway also will be switched so some work can be done on the interstate. Faieta expects work to start around April 1.
The $53 million project is scheduled to be done by November 2017. Golden Triangle Construction of Robinson Township is the general contractor.