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PA 28 Construction Updates

Started by PAHighways, November 03, 2009, 08:21:50 PM

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Mr_Northside

Quote from: rickmastfan67 on November 23, 2011, 09:56:35 AM
I wonder if the Right Turn Only restriction (onto the 40th Street Bridge) will still be in place once the ramp is re-opened today.  But odds are it still will be.

I don't know why it wouldn't be.  It's pretty much part of the overall operational design of the "interchange".  It allows for traffic coming NB across the bridge to be able to turn right to NB Rt 28 or Millvale without ever needing to see a red light. 
And there is no practical reason to allow traffic to proceed straight, unless it's a special circumstance (IE: an accident on NB 28 between the 40th St. Bridge off-ramp and the Millvale on-ramp).
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything


Mr_Northside

Took advantage of the unseasonable warm and awesome day yesterday for a bike ride.  Got a couple of pictures along the way.....




New sign structure with signs heading southbound between Etna & Millvale.  (There is another one right around the Shaler Water Works that's the same (except for "distance to")




A new traffic signal was installed at the edge of Millvale, including for the ramps leading up to the 40th St. Bridge




Current Progress looking toward Millvale...




Work on the hillside at the end of the 31st St. Bridge




Work looking towards downtown

I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

rickmastfan67

#52
Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 07, 2012, 12:46:28 PM
New sign structure with signs heading southbound between Etna & Millvale.  (There is another one right around the Shaler Water Works that's the same (except for "distance to")


3A for the 40th Street Bridge? Hmmmm.  It's (Was?) Exit #2 going NB.  Did the NB exit number stay the same, or does the exit now have two completely different numbers going in each direction?  Was the NB Millvale exit # changed, or did it stay #3?  I've only traveled SB PA-28 there, and it was right after they opened up the new lanes to bypass the 40th Street Bridge, but no new signage was up yet.

Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 07, 2012, 12:46:28 PM
A new traffic signal was installed at the edge of Millvale, including for the ramps leading up to the 40th St. Bridge

About time there is a traffic light there!  Didn't know they were going to install one.  Going to put that info into OSM right now. ;)

ARMOURERERIC

Now I feel really old.  I remember when they turned off the old signal at Grant? and Ohio as the Millvale bypass was finishing off.  There were unused signal heads on poles for years, at least into the mid 80's.

Mr_Northside

Quote from: rickmastfan67 on January 09, 2012, 12:22:24 AM
3A for the 40th Street Bridge? Hmmmm.  It's (Was?) Exit #2 going NB.  Did the NB exit number stay the same, or does the exit now have two completely different numbers going in each direction?  Was the NB Millvale exit # changed, or did it stay #3?  I've only traveled SB PA-28 there, and it was right after they opened up the new lanes to bypass the 40th Street Bridge, but no new signage was up yet.

Currently, going NB, the new exit gore signage for the 40th St. Bridge is also Exit 3A.  Beyond that no new NB signage as gone up yet (at least not as of yesterday).
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

Alps

Anyone else notice the "LEFT" is hideously oversized?

rickmastfan67

#56
Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 09, 2012, 12:34:54 PM
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on January 09, 2012, 12:22:24 AM
3A for the 40th Street Bridge? Hmmmm.  It's (Was?) Exit #2 going NB.  Did the NB exit number stay the same, or does the exit now have two completely different numbers going in each direction?  Was the NB Millvale exit # changed, or did it stay #3?  I've only traveled SB PA-28 there, and it was right after they opened up the new lanes to bypass the 40th Street Bridge, but no new signage was up yet.

Currently, going NB, the new exit gore signage for the 40th St. Bridge is also Exit 3A.  Beyond that no new NB signage as gone up yet (at least not as of yesterday).

Thanks for letting me know.  I'll go change the 40th St. Bridge NB exit number to 3A right now in OSM. :)

It also somewhat confirms that the 31st Street Bridge will be Exit #2.  And then maybe we'll get 1A/1B setup at PA-28's end on the North Side.

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 09, 2012, 09:36:14 AM
Now I feel really old.  I remember when they turned off the old signal at Grant? and Ohio as the Millvale bypass was finishing off.  There were unused signal heads on poles for years, at least into the mid 80's.

To be honest, I've always wondered why there wasn't a traffic light there while I've been alive.  Yet, they had a traffic light at the PA-28 NB off-ramp into Millvale (Ohio & Lincoln). :eyebrow:

Per my dad, he thinks that Millvale refused to pay for the continued use of lights @ Grant and Ohio and thought PennDOT should pay for them after the Bypass was completed, thus why they weren't there anymore.  Guess Millvale finally won.  Because seriously, having Grant not have to stop there was a nightmare.  Going SB on Ohio to the 40th Street Bridge and having to stop at that intersection was annoying.  A 2-lane road should never be free-flowing compared to a 4-lane road when the 4-lane road is the more important one.  If anything, it should have been a ALL-WAY STOP intersection.

ARMOURERERIC

Would your dad be considered an old-time resident of Millvale.  My dad was a Millvale native, and his dad was a famous local boxer in the late 1930's

rickmastfan67

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 10, 2012, 01:02:58 AM
Would your dad be considered an old-time resident of Millvale.  My dad was a Millvale native, and his dad was a famous local boxer in the late 1930's

No, he grew up in the Morningside area and then moved to the North Hills.

But he was the director of the Pittsburgh Historical Society for awhile. ;)

Mr_Northside

Early March day in the 60's.  Good for a bike ride.



New supports for an overhead sign are put up.  There is also one on the other side of the 40th St. Bridge that was just put up.






View from the 31st St. Bridge looking toward downtown.  While there has been a lot of work going on, from this vantage point there doesn't seem to be too much difference from the last picture I took from here.






From the 31st Bridge, looking northbound.  Once again, not too much of a discernible difference from 2 months ago from this spot.
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

PAHighways


rickmastfan67

Quote from: PAHighways on March 13, 2012, 04:55:30 PM
Speaking of that sign bridge support:  Southbound Route 28 Overhead Sign Installations Continue Wednesday and Thursday Nights in Millvale.

Sadly, they don't know about the new exit numbers as they list the Millvale exit number as #3, instead of #3B which it is now going SB.

Mr_Northside

Well... they did get the horizontal parts up on the supports now... But still no signs.....






That shot from the 40th St. Bridge was the best I could do for the southward one.
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

PAHighways


rickmastfan67


rickmastfan67

Quote from: Mr_Northside on March 18, 2012, 01:45:33 PM


Still no signs as of yesterday afternoon.

However, I did get some shots of the new 3A/3B signage going SB on PA-28 (both sets) before the 3B ramp (where I got off).  Will have to get them off my camera later and post them here once resized.

Mr_Northside

Well... they got signs up....



I'm guessing that the covered up sign on the left is for the 40th St. Bridge....






New signal arm, with a sign for South PA-28.






Another new signal arm, and the "Exit 3A" sign.



They also have signs up on the sign bridge on the southern side of the exit.  I had no real way to get any pics of it though; 
Inbound there is a blue sign, most likely for Emergency Pull-Off's, and an empty space, most assuredly for the future 31st St. Bridge exit. 
Outbound there is the exit sign for the bridge/Lawrenceville, and a 2-lane PA-28 "pull-thru" with a control destination of Millvale.
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

rickmastfan67

#67
Interesting that they have the "No Left Turn 6AM-9AM" sign still up.  You would think that now since the road is separated, they would remove that restriction.

BTW, have they put up the #3B NB exit signage yet, or is it still #3?

Stephane Dumas

I guess the future exit numbers might be
3B: Grant Avenue, Evergreen avenue
3A: 40th street bridge
2: Rialto Street, 31th street bridge
1B: Chestnut street, 16th street bridge, East Ohio Street to I-279 North
1A: I-579, I-279 South 

ARMOURERERIC

From the images, it looks like the design is different from what I expected, but safer.  I was under the impression that the left exit 3a was farther upstream, creating a weave situation with the rasms from Millvale.  With this arrangement, it appears that there will be 2 signal phases for a carrigeway heading inbound, 1 for traffic out of Millvale, and 1 for the exit 3a ramp traffic.

rickmastfan67

PennDOT is going to be installing new traffic lights tonight and tomorrow night at the 40th Street Bridge intersection.  So, maybe then we will possibly see the end of that "No Left Turn 6AM-9AM" restriction.

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/the-roundabout/33764-what-we-paid-for-the-north-shore-connector (about 8 paragraphs down)

Mr_Northside

#71
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on April 07, 2012, 06:39:01 PM
Interesting that they have the "No Left Turn 6AM-9AM" sign still up.  You would think that now since the road is separated, they would remove that restriction.

I'm not sure what they'll do about that.  I always assumed the turn restriction was like that due to lane configurations on the 40th St. Bridge more than the situation / conditions on Rt. 28.  
I've never had reason to use it during those hours, but I assumed since the 3-lane bridge has the lane control signals, that during those hours the bridge switched to 2 lanes northbound (to Lawrenceville), and 1 lane toward Millvale that they wanted to keep moving. There is also a sign on the bridge approaching Rt. 28 indicating that the "Right Lane Must Turn Right", so if the center lane is X'd, there is no lane to turn left from.

If I'm correct about the center lane changing during the morning rush hour, and if they continue to do that after construction, it is quite possible that the left turn restriction will continue.  I suppose we should find out pretty soon....
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

Mr_Northside

The 40th St. Bridge "interchange" portion of the Rt. 28 upgrades seems pretty close to being done......

I can say, the new sidewalk is nice.  The new signals are on (have been for about 2 weeks now).  Once Millvale & NB traffic is shifted to that new lane, I'm sure they'll uncover that LEFT Only overhead, and turn on the electric middle one.




New signals in operation.  Also, the "No Left Turn [certain times]" restriciton sign is temporary and anchored with sandbags.  I don't see a new one, so when the work is done, I think the odds are strong that traffic will be able to turn left at all times.  Though I suppose we'll see.




Looking down from the 40th St. Bridge, it looks like paving of the NB lanes is pretty much done (though no lines yet), not sure when they'll end the one-lane restriction.




The new wall looks pretty complete.  Also, there is a new sign bridge with no signs (though there was a road closure a couple of weeks ago where the press release said they were putting signs up, but the next day it didn't look like much was done....)




Another view from the 40th St. Bridge toward downtown.  Some landscaping has been done.  You can also see the overhead "Emergency Pull-Off" sign, and empty space for a future 31st St. Bridge sign as well....

I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

rickmastfan67

Have they installed the new NB Exit #3B signage yet, or is it still posted as Exit #3? Every time I've attempted to go up PA-28, it's been jammed up to the point I decided the heck with it.  Even tried in the middle of Saturday a week ago and it was completely jammed up at the NB merge point.

Mr_Northside

Quote from: rickmastfan67 on May 24, 2012, 10:07:55 PM
Have they installed the new NB Exit #3B signage yet, or is it still posted as Exit #3?

Still haven't seen any new/modified signs for that yet. 

QuoteEvery time I've attempted to go up PA-28, it's been jammed up to the point I decided the heck with it.  Even tried in the middle of Saturday a week ago and it was completely jammed up at the NB merge point.

That sucks.  Though I will say, with certain exceptions (like rush hour), that the current work zone situation is actually an improvement over the pre-work zone normal conditions.
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything



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