The first, 8.5-mile phase of the expressway between Uniontown and Brownsville began in February 2006 and will cost approximately $390 million. Its target opening is spring 2009. The second phase of the project has an estimated cost of $445 million and includes a 3,013-foot-long, four-lane bridge over the Monongahela River. Work on the final 8-mile section of the Mon-Fayette Expressway between Uniontown and Brownsville could begin as early as April, according to Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission CEO Joe Brimmeier. During a news conference Wednesday in Redstone, Fayette County, Brimmeier announced plans for finishing the 17-mile project, which lawmakers contend will be a key factor in revitalizing the county’s economy. “This is the beginning of a new future for Fayette County,” said Democratic state Sen. Richard Kasunic, who was among several state and local lawmakers in attendance. “This is the biggest economic development since coal was king here.” The first, 8.5-mile phase of the expressway construction began in February 2006 and will cost approximately $390 million. The commission has projected a spring 2009 opening. Bids on six construction projects that will comprise the second phase will be sought in January, Brimmeier said. Groundbreaking is estimated for April, with a tentative completion date of spring 2012. Costs for the second phase are estimated at $445 million and include construction of a four-lane bridge over the Monongahela River between Luzerne and Centerville, in Washington County. Brimmeier said the 3,013-foot-long bridge represents the largest portion of the construction, and it could take as long as four years to complete. The expressway will provide 60 miles of highway between West Virginia and Jefferson Hills in Allegheny County. Vince Vicites, Fayette County commissioner, described the expressway as the most important infrastructure project in the county’s history. “It gives us the level playing field we need in order to grow our county in the future,” Vicites said. Lora Lee Liptak, who lives near the new expressway, concurred. Although her family lost 17 acres of their 150-acre farm to the construction, she said the highway is needed. Liptak anticipates the expressway will increase property values because it will provide quick, easy access to jobs in Pittsburgh and Morgantown, W.Va. That access might encourage young people to stay in Fayette, she said. “Hopefully, they won’t have to leave the area,” Liptak said. “They can jump on the expressway.”

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