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Improvements Planned for I-70 in SW PA

Started by PAHighways, August 02, 2011, 06:51:36 PM

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J N Winkler

Quote from: Gnutella on August 13, 2014, 01:13:31 AMBy the way, where can I look up the sign patterns for this project and others? Just curious.

They are available through ECMS:

http://www.dot14.state.pa.us/ECMS/

Use the guest login, go to Bid Packages, and then go to Advanced Search.  There is a box where you can key in the ECMS number if you have it (it is 87236 for the project under discussion), or you can search by district, county, route, type of work, etc.  From memory, most of the contracts associated with the I-70 reconstruction have section identifiers ending in 20 (so SR 0070 Section T20, SR 0070 Section Y20, SR 0070 Section W20, etc.).

If you key in an ECMS number, you will be taken directly to the Bid Package page for that project.  If you get a search results page instead, you just click on the bid opening date (not the project number) to go to the Bid Package page for a particular project.  Once you are on the Bid Package page, there will be links where you can download plans, proposals, etc.  The file cabinet icons are for premerged sheet sets; the other links generally lead to single-sheet files.

In regard to signing plans, District 11 does indeed have the tastiest ones.  Even the temporary guide signing sheets are usually pattern-accurate.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini


Gnutella

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on August 13, 2014, 04:46:26 PM
I am looking at the few examples I can find of the reconstructed cross section of 70 after the full rebuild.  It looks like the inside shoulders will still be below I standard and if so,  I wondered why when we are only talking about an additional 16-18 feet in a rural area.

I've heard more than one person claim that the interior shoulders on the newly reconstructed portions of I-70 are still substandard even though that's not true. Behold, at the newly-reconfigured Smithton interchange:



Four feet between the median barrier and the yellow line, just like AASHTO specifies.

ARMOURERERIC

Thanks,  That explains it, I thought 12" was required.  Allthough, why did they not go for the extra EOW and get 12" inside shoulders, ROW would have/should have ben cheap enough.  Maybe keeping it in the existing Row keep EIR preparation to a minimum?

J N Winkler

#78
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on August 15, 2014, 01:48:57 PMThanks, that explains it, I thought 12' was required.  Allthough, why did they not go for the extra ROW and get 12' inside shoulders, ROW would have/should have ben cheap enough.  Maybe keeping it in the existing Row keep EIR preparation to a minimum?

AIUI, the shoulder width minima for Interstates are 4' inside and 10' outside, but 12' for both is recommended when the route carries heavy truck volumes.  I suspect PennDOT has chosen to reconstruct in place rather than rebuilding with a wide median not because of the cost of additional right-of-way as such, but rather because the terrain is hilly and heavily undermined.

Edit:  Changed " to '.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

1995hoo

Do you guys mean inches or feet? For what it's worth, " in this context denotes inches and ' denotes feet. You might recall the Stonehenge scene from the Spinal Tap movie where that became an issue because they wanted an 18-foot monolith but wrote 18" on the diagram.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Mr_Northside

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on August 15, 2014, 01:48:57 PM
Maybe keeping it in the existing Row keep EIR preparation to a minimum?
Quote from: J N Winkler on August 15, 2014, 02:07:30 PM
I suspect PennDOT has chosen to reconstruct in place rather than rebuilding with a wide median not because of the cost of additional right-of-way as such, but rather because the terrain is hilly and heavily undermined.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was both.
It seems the lion's share of the money is going into interchange redesign/reconstruction.
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

J N Winkler

Quote from: 1995hoo on August 15, 2014, 02:28:34 PMDo you guys mean inches or feet? For what it's worth, " in this context denotes inches and ' denotes feet. You might recall the Stonehenge scene from the Spinal Tap movie where that became an issue because they wanted an 18-foot monolith but wrote 18" on the diagram.

Sorry--yes, we were talking about feet.  I've revised my post accordingly.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

J N Winkler

Quote from: Mr_Northside on August 15, 2014, 02:49:35 PM
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on August 15, 2014, 01:48:57 PM
Maybe keeping it in the existing Row keep EIR preparation to a minimum?

Quote from: J N Winkler on August 15, 2014, 02:07:30 PM
I suspect PennDOT has chosen to reconstruct in place rather than rebuilding with a wide median not because of the cost of additional right-of-way as such, but rather because the terrain is hilly and heavily undermined.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was both.

It seems the lion's share of the money is going into interchange redesign/reconstruction.

Thinking about it some more, there are a couple of options PennDOT could have chosen:

*  Build a new carriageway on a new alignment, with a wide vegetated median (60' minimum would be ideal):  this would require significant amounts of new ROW, and would be especially difficult in this terrain because of the hills and undermining, but is the preferred solution for other lengths of I-70 which also pass through rolling country and are overburdened with trucks (e.g., rural Missouri between Kansas City and St. Louis).

*  Rebuild on existing alignment, but with 12' shoulders:  this might not require any new ROW at all if the existing ROW is wide enough to accommodate a clear zone expanded 8' on each side, but might cause difficulties with drainage and force regrading or shoulder narrowing at overbridges.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

hbelkins

Quote from: 1995hoo on August 15, 2014, 02:28:34 PM
Do you guys mean inches or feet? For what it's worth, " in this context denotes inches and ' denotes feet. You might recall the Stonehenge scene from the Spinal Tap movie where that became an issue because they wanted an 18-foot monolith but wrote 18" on the diagram.



Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Gnutella

According to PennDOT's new 12-year plan for 2015, there will be lots of work done on several interchanges on I-70 during the next eight years. Here's the run-down...


EXIT 25 (PA 519: Eighty Four/Glyde) - Currently under construction
EXIT 27 (Dunningsville) - No plans
EXIT 31 (Kammerer) - No plans
EXITS 32A-B (PA 917: Ginger Hill/Bentleyville) - Construction begins in 2015; Exit 32A to be eliminated
EXIT 35 (PA 481: Monongahela/Centerville) - Construction begins in 2016
EXIT 36 (Lover) - No plans
EXITS 37A-B (PA 43: California/Pittsburgh) - No plans
EXIT 39 (Speers) - No plans
EXIT 40 (PA 88: Charleroi/Allenport) - No plans
EXIT 41 (PA 906: Belle Vernon/Monessen) - No plans
EXIT 42 (Monessen) - No plans
EXIT 43 (PA 201/PA 837: Donora, Fayette City) - No plans
EXIT 44 (Arnold) - Construction begins in 2019
EXITS 46A-B (PA 51: Uniontown/Pittsburgh) - Construction begins in 2019
EXIT 49 (Smithton) - Completed
EXITS 51A-B (PA 31: Mount Pleasant, West Newton) - Construction begins in 2016
EXIT 53 (Yukon) - Construction begins in 2016
EXIT 54 (Madison) - No plans
EXITS 57A-B (Hunker/New Stanton) - Construction begins in 2015; Exit 57A to be eliminated


It wouldn't surprise me if they eliminate Exits 36, 42 and 54 since they're redundant. It'll be interesting to see what they do with Exits 27, 31 and 39. Reconstructing the highway and interchanges between the Speers-Belle Vernon and Smithton Hi-Level Bridges will be a chore due to development right up to the edges of the highway, and no place to put new bridges other than the footprint of the existing bridges. There's actually a few houses located in the middle of a loop ramp in North Belle Vernon. :-|

Surprisingly, the only mainline reconstruction work planned that's not in the vicinity of the interchanges is between the I-79 "north" junction and PA 519, and between the New Stanton interchange and the Turnpike.

mgk920

^^
Yet another reason why I prefer meters to 'quotes and apostrophes'.

:rolleyes:

:spin:

Anyways, how do these design standards compare with those of the newest built and rebuilt European motorways?

:hmmm:

Mike

ARMOURERERIC

Any visible action at 70 & Murtland yet?

Bitmapped

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on October 28, 2014, 11:38:43 PM
Any visible action at 70 & Murtland yet?
Some earth moving when I was through a couple weeks ago.

Mr_Northside

Article on the planned rehab of the Speers Bridge (over the Mon)

Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge work set for next summer

One would figure that eventually they're gonna have to actually replace it.  A project I'd imagine would be a huge pain in the ass.
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

Gnutella

The Speers-Belle Vernon Bridge replacement will probably be the last project on I-70 south of Pittsburgh.

rickmastfan67


Mr_Northside

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

CanesFan27

Some notes on I-70 past:

Appears that parts of the road really didn't have a tru center divider until around 1970.  Here's an article about the Speers Bridge and the numerous deaths from 1967 that shows how the center median was just a concrete curb.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19670805&id=ob0bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hk8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4767%2C1417448

Also it appears that the 45 MPH speed limit through Speers was first put in place in 1977

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19771024&id=puZdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Fl8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3803,3120164


CanesFan27

Clearing out more old articles - September 1975 - announcing the relocated Interstate 70 that never was.  A plan was in place to widen I-70 from four to six lanes from Washington to New Stanton.  The biggest piece was a relocation of I-70 from Lover to Arnold City south of the current I-70 alignment.  A new bridge crossing the Mon River would be built around Fayette City.  Obviously -  that never came to be.  Earlier a push was made to have the then under construction Donora-Monessen bridge to be part of a possible realignment of I-70.  Supposedly, this was known as the "Corridor Project".

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19750908&id=t-xdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Wl8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3615,1045570

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19730726&id=beRdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BV8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4897,4419856

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19751212&id=n-VdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FV8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3173,2153560

CanesFan27

The revamped New Stanton interchange opened on November 12, 1964. This allowed a direct freeway to freeway connection for I-70 and the PA Turnpike.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19641111&id=HL0bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SE8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7175,4213411

CanesFan27


ARMOURERERIC

Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 26, 2015, 01:15:15 PM
PennDOT has to complete acquisition of 4 parcels, take down trees for New Stanton interchange on I-70

Sounds like things are still on track for construction to begin this summer.

It will be a big next 6 months for I-70:

PA 481 Bid opening on 3/26
New Stanton in June
Bentleyville in July

Gnutella

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on February 27, 2015, 10:02:02 PM
Quote from: Mr_Northside on January 26, 2015, 01:15:15 PM
PennDOT has to complete acquisition of 4 parcels, take down trees for New Stanton interchange on I-70

Sounds like things are still on track for construction to begin this summer.

It will be a big next 6 months for I-70:

PA 481 Bid opening on 3/26
New Stanton in June
Bentleyville in July

Once PennDOT upgrades the substandard segments of I-70, I-78, I-80 and I-83, I hope they start putting the screws to any NIMBYs in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who try to prevent I-76 and I-376 from being properly upgraded.

signalman

Quote from: Gnutella on February 28, 2015, 11:45:15 AM
Once PennDOT upgrades the substandard segments of I-70, I-78, I-80 and I-83, I hope they start putting the screws to any NIMBYs in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who try to prevent I-76 and I-376 from being properly upgraded.
I'm not sure anyone on the forum will live long enough to see PennDOT fix all their substandard interstate segments and interchanges.

algorerhythms

Quote from: 1995hoo on August 15, 2014, 02:28:34 PM
Do you guys mean inches or feet? For what it's worth, " in this context denotes inches and ' denotes feet. You might recall the Stonehenge scene from the Spinal Tap movie where that became an issue because they wanted an 18-foot monolith but wrote 18" on the diagram.
Or the World's Littlest Skyscraper, standing tall at 480".



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