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Mon-Fayette Expressway

Started by Mr_Northside, August 03, 2009, 10:02:23 AM

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wphiii

Quote from: compdude787 on August 18, 2016, 11:46:54 PM
Completely agree with this. Routing this freeway in the opposite direction of downtown Pittsburgh really makes little sense.

Building a connection to the west side of the Sq. Hill Tunnel is just a non-starter for a variety of reasons.


QuoteIt would have been nice if the Mon-Fayette Expressway had a spur into the city of Pittsburgh, but not having one doesn't make the highway completely useless. The Mon-Fayette Expressway and South Beltway will give the brownfields in the Mon Valley direct highway access. The existing road network in southern Allegheny County is a total clusterfuck, comprised mostly of curvy, narrow, two-lane arterial roads that can barely handle any truck traffic, which doesn't help when it comes to industrial site selection these days. Industry likes to be near highways, because it produces a lot of truck traffic. As it is right now, U.S. 30 and PA 51 are only useful for eastbound trucks. Any trucks that want to go west without having to go through the city of Pittsburgh have to go far out of their ways to do so. And there's literally no way to get from the Mon Valley to Pittsburgh International Airport without going through the city. The South Beltway will provide a direct shot from the Mon Valley to the airport, as well as the emerging cluster of employment at Southpointe.

General east/west mobility is also an issue. In a county of 1,230,459 people, I-376 and PA 910 are the only true east/west routes, and the former is the only one with more than two lanes. And there's literally nothing in the southern suburbs. Lebanon Church Road doesn't count either, because it's not nearly long enough. On a good day, it'll still take an hour to get from North Versailles to Canonsburg. A completed Mon-Fayette Expressway and South Beltway will cut that time in half. It'll also give people in the eastern and western suburbs an option to access critical transportation infrastructure without going through the city. People in the eastern suburbs will have another way to get to Pittsburgh International Airport, and people in the western suburbs will have another way to get to the Pennsylvania Turnpike eastbound.

I lose track of this stuff; where are we at with the 79-to-43 section? Much of what you're saying doesn't apply unless that happens.


The Ghostbuster

Does anyone think a 2021 start date towards extending Hwy. 43 towards Monroeville seem optimistic?

noelbotevera

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on August 22, 2016, 05:45:02 PM
Does anyone think a 2021 start date towards extending Hwy. 43 towards Monroeville seem optimistic?
Well too optimistic, in fact. We all know PennDOT has the construction speed of cement.

qguy

Quote from: noelbotevera on August 23, 2016, 10:11:22 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on August 22, 2016, 05:45:02 PM
Does anyone think a 2021 start date towards extending Hwy. 43 towards Monroeville seem optimistic?
Well too optimistic, in fact. We all know PennDOT has the construction speed of cement.

PA Turnpike Commission, actually, which is far worse. Whenever the Turnpike publicizes any project, you can always add 2 to 5 years minimum to their projected start date.

If I ever put something off, my teen-age son (who posts here from time to time) will say, "Dad, you're being a total Turnpike!"

Gnutella

Quote from: wphiii on August 22, 2016, 05:30:59 PMI lose track of this stuff; where are we at with the 79-to-43 section? Much of what you're saying doesn't apply unless that happens.

They made the record of decision many years ago, and the path of the highway is official. The record of decision is considered Step 9 of 10 in the process of building a highway. Expect final design and property acquisition to begin in the next year or two, and construction to begin after the segment from U.S. 22 to I-79 is completed in 2019.

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on August 22, 2016, 05:45:02 PM
Does anyone think a 2021 start date towards extending Hwy. 43 towards Monroeville seem optimistic?

Maybe, but unlike before, there's finally some willpower to get the project completed, and an actual timetable for completion that they want to adhere to. Neither used to be the case.

ARMOURERERIC

ROW acquisition for the section from PA 51 to PA 885 has commenced with construction to start in 2021.

sparker

Question: has there been any indication as to what type of bridge structure for the Monongahela River crossing is planned for the extension? 

Beltway

Quote from: sparker on September 30, 2018, 05:09:51 AM
Question: has there been any indication as to what type of bridge structure for the Monongahela River crossing is planned for the extension? 

Good question, but that segment isn't even in design yet.

"The project from PA Route 51 to I-376 is the largest and most expensive of the four Mon/Fayette projects.  The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this project was approved in December, 2004.  Design was started in 2004 but halted in 2009 due to lack of funding."

https://www.patpconstruction.com/monfaysb/
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

PAHighways

If any of the other bridges along 43 are any indication, then it will just be a girder bridge.

Beltway

Quote from: PAHighways on September 30, 2018, 11:21:38 PM
If any of the other bridges along 43 are any indication, then it will just be a girder bridge.

Concrete box girder at the one near Brownsville -- https://tinyurl.com/yd7pw3qy

Looks like cast-in-place segmental post-tensioned construction method.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

sparker

Quote from: Beltway on September 30, 2018, 11:45:03 PM
Quote from: PAHighways on September 30, 2018, 11:21:38 PM
If any of the other bridges along 43 are any indication, then it will just be a girder bridge.

Concrete box girder at the one near Brownsville -- https://tinyurl.com/yd7pw3qy

Looks like cast-in-place segmental post-tensioned construction method.

Considering the fact that the future bridge will have to span a river valley roughly the size of the one pictured -- not to mention numerous rail lines flanking that river -- and this is the type of structure favored for this facility, it's entirely possible that it will bear some semblance to the bridge pictured.  Guess we'll find out down the line. 

Beltway

Quote from: sparker on October 01, 2018, 01:38:48 AM
Quote from: Beltway on September 30, 2018, 11:45:03 PM
Concrete box girder at the one near Brownsville -- https://tinyurl.com/yd7pw3qy
Looks like cast-in-place segmental post-tensioned construction method.
Considering the fact that the future bridge will have to span a river valley roughly the size of the one pictured -- not to mention numerous rail lines flanking that river -- and this is the type of structure favored for this facility, it's entirely possible that it will bear some semblance to the bridge pictured.  Guess we'll find out down the line. 

The Turnpike replacement bridges over the Allegheny and Susquehanna rivers are of the similar concrete box girder designs.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

The Ghostbuster

I have received word that Highway 43 is now planned to be extended north to Duquesne starting in 2024. Is this accurate?

74/171FAN

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 30, 2020, 07:42:15 PM
I have received word that Highway 43 is now planned to be extended north to Duquesne starting in 2024. Is this accurate?

The PA Turnpike's website has the following on this at the moment: 

QuoteThe PA Turnpike Commission (PTC) is still acquiring the property interests needed to construct the southern section of the PA Route 51 to I-376 Project. This is a lengthy process that will take multiple years. This Right-of-Way acquisition process must be complete before construction can begin. Due to the size and scope of the project, construction has been broken into multiple sections. It is anticipated that construction of the first section could begin in 2023. Construction costs for the entire southern section are estimated to be approximately $900 million.
I am now a PennDOT employee.  My opinions/views do not necessarily reflect the opinions/views of PennDOT.

ARMOURERERIC

I read several months ago, in a totally unrelated article about the local electrical utility already actively moving high tension lines to accommodate  the row.


Gnutella

Quote from: Crown Victoria on March 21, 2021, 11:57:58 PM
New construction starts next year (maybe?)...

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2021/03/07/Mon-Fayette-Expressway-Jefferson-Hills-Duquesne-West-Mifflin-Kennywood-Park-Pennsylvania-Turnpike/stories/202103070091

What they need to do is extend the Mon-Fayette Expressway up Thompson Run north of I-376 to the Turnpike. Ending it at I-376 means that traffic going between the Turnpike and the Mon-Fayette Expressway will need to use I-376 and exit twice in the span of two miles. Just connect it directly with the Turnpike, and then Pittsburgh will have a three-quarters beltway. (Good luck building the missing link between Cranberry and Pittsburgh International Airport, which would pass through some of the most expensive real estate in western Pennsylvania.)

The Ghostbuster

If PA 43 is completed to Interstate 376, around what exit on 376 would 43 terminate at in Monroeville?

Roadsguy

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 26, 2021, 02:04:21 PM
If PA 43 is completed to Interstate 376, around what exit on 376 would 43 terminate at in Monroeville?

It will end at a semi-directional T interchange directly north of the Monroeville Mall, about halfway between the PA 791/Rodi Road and PA 48/Haymaker Road interchanges.
Mileage-based exit numbering implies the existence of mileage-cringe exit numbering.

ARMOURERERIC

Post Gazette reporting that first contract being advertised on October  26.  3 mile mainline extention north of 51

Gnutella

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on August 06, 2022, 08:32:53 PM
Post Gazette reporting that first contract being advertised on October  26.  3 mile mainline extention north of 51

That extension would end near Kennywood Park, right?

ARMOURERERIC

Ultimately, this is for the first contract out to Coal Hollow?  I would figure the balance of contracts to Kennywood to be staggered out.

The Ghostbuster

The PA 43 Mon-Fayette Expressway will be extended about 7.4 miles northward to an interchange that leads to PA 837 (there will also be interchanges at Camp Hollow Rd. and Pittsburgh McKeesport Blvd.) That should be completed by 2027. I wonder how long it will take to construct the remainder of the MFE across the future Monongahela River Bridge all the way to Interstate 376?

ski-man

Any updates on the progress of the U-C section or the proposed sections? Sure wish they still would extend a spur of this highway off west to Downtown Pittsburgh.

rickmastfan67

Quote from: ski-man on September 30, 2022, 02:55:13 PM
Any updates on the progress of the U-C section or the proposed sections? Sure wish they still would extend a spur of this highway off west to Downtown Pittsburgh.

.....

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on August 06, 2022, 08:32:53 PM
Post Gazette reporting that first contract being advertised on October  26.  3 mile mainline extention north of 51

Just 4 posts above you.



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