Two years of construction to completely revamp the Interstate 79 interchange with Route 910 will begin with staging equipment for the work beginning 9 a.m. Monday.
The $46.5 million project will include relocating the current northbound exit and entrance ramps about 1,000 feet to the west so they are adjacent to the southbound ramps. That is designed to eliminate a problem with congestion on Route 910 where there are two traffic lights near each other, one for the northbound ramps and the other at the Brandt School Road-VIP Drive intersection.
Relocating the ramps also will create a common intersection for the north and south ramps on the other side of interstate. That configuration is known as a single-point urban interchange that is designed to move a high volume of traffic.
The interchange will be the first of its kind in Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties when it opens. There shouldn’t be any adverse effect on the intersection at Nicholson Road because it is far enough away to the west.
Because a lot of the project will involve building in new areas, it won’t have much impact on traffic once Golden Triangle Construction Co. has its equipment in place. An exception will be Monday through Friday this week when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said motorists can expect some traffic disruptions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in both directions of I-79 from about 1.5 miles north of the Interstate 279 split to Mingo Road, at the I-79 on- and off-ramps at Route 910, and on Route 910 between Nicholson Road and the Brandt School-VIP intersection.
Another exception will be the placement of beams for the new structures, which will be done during overnight closures on Interstate 79.
The new ramps will have more distance for drivers to accelerate or decelerate getting on and off I-79. The project also will include two new flyover ramps over I-79, new traffic signals and new highway lights.
Another design advantage is that PennDOT didn’t have to take any property for the work.
Construction is expected to last through the 2027 construction season.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.