When trees fall along Interstate 70 in Westmoreland County, it means PennDOT construction is on the horizon.
Motorists traveling along the interstate near the West Newton exit this week saw adjacent ground stripped of trees as North Suburban Tree Service cleared a work zone for reconstruction of the interchange at Route 31 in South Huntingdon.
Golden Triangle Construction Company is the general contractor for the $66.9 million project, which will replace the existing cloverleaf interchange with a diamond configuration. The project will lengthen ramps connecting the two highways and will widen I-70 to allow a more spacious median, at 10 feet wide, and shoulders, 12 feet each.
The project is tentatively slated for completion in November 2020. Construction may require short-term traffic restrictions. Otherwise, four lanes will remain open on the interstate, according to PennDOT project manager Sean Sepe.
It could take a month for PennDOT to review and approve the contractor's plan for moving forward, Sepe said. Then crews should begin the first phase of work — shoulder reconstruction and installation of temporary barriers along I-70 and abutment repairs on the bridge carrying the interstate over Route 31.
“The interchange will become more efficient and will eliminate conflict points,” Sepe said. That includes an area where vehicles exiting westbound I-70 currently merge with those traveling on Route 3061.
“The diamond cleans that up,” he said, explaining traffic in the revamped interchange will remain separate from that on Route 3061. Left-turn lanes will be added on Route 31 for traffic entering I-70 ramps.
Farther west in the work zone, which stretches to the nearby Smithton Interchange, a bridge and two roads will be relocated to accommodate widening of the interstate, Sepe said.
The bridge carrying Smithton Pike over I-70 will be reconstructed to the east of its current location. A section of the pike will be reconstructed on either side of the span, and Davis Road — it intersects the pike south of I-70 — will be shifted farther south.
A detour will be in place during the work on Smithton Pike while access to homes on Davis will be maintained throughout the project, Sepe noted.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.
