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[Mr_Northside]

I viewed the proposed design, I wonder how they will get any hazmat/oversize that overshot the exit off the highway.

They'll probably just turn them around at the base of the tunnels.  That's what they started doing with the inbound Squirrel Hill tunnel.   They used to try and direct traffic off @ Edgewood / Swissvale with detectors and lights, but they shifted that a few years ago to the tunnel plaza.   What sucks about making that standard operating procedure is it requires that traffic be stopped while the over-height vehicle turns around.
(Outbound [EB] over-height traffic is directed to get off @ Squirrel Hill when the lights are flashing)

The concern I have is more of runaway trucks using the ramp instead of the escape ramp, since they are so close.

I've always kind of wondered how much use that runaway truck ramp gets. 

[rickmastfan67]

The concern I have is more of runaway trucks using the ramp instead of the escape ramp, since they are so close.

I've always kind of wondered how much use that runaway truck ramp gets.

Enough to be justified I'm sure.  It's almost always not needed during Rush Hour though, due to traffic going at a snails pace already due to the weave condition at the bottom of the hill.

[rickmastfan67]

PennDOT - District 11 News: I-376 Banksville Interchange Project Online Virtual Public Open House Thursday

Watching the video, I hope somebody pointed out the following to them in the animation that might still cause a lot of trouble.

They show Banksville Road merging onto I-376 with 2 lanes and with the 2 lanes from I-376, merging into only 3 lanes.  That will be a nightmare trying to force 2 lanes of traffic into one lane (the right lane on I-376 & the left lane on the ramp from Banksville to form a 'middle' lane).  They really need to turn Banksville into a single lane by the time of the merge onto I-376.

[JoeP2]

So in catching, I see the comments about the Banksville changes, but it seems for years there were planned changes to Greentree (and maybe Carnegie?) - what happened to those interchange/ramp changes. It's really appalling that Greentree has the most asinine and unsafe ramps imaginable.

[lepidopteran]

In reference to the Banksville Interchange, you know how the highway runs under two adjacent railroad bridges, one taller and one shorter?  Surprisingly, the shorter bridge is still present in the "after" video, even though it looks like the tracks across it haven't been used in a long time (and another bridge that took them over Route 51 along the river was removed sometime within the last 10 years).  You'd think having those abutments out of the way would make for a wider roadway.

[Bitmapped]

In reference to the Banksville Interchange, you know how the highway runs under two adjacent railroad bridges, one taller and one shorter?  Surprisingly, the shorter bridge is still present in the "after" video, even though it looks like the tracks across it haven't been used in a long time (and another bridge that took them over Route 51 along the river was removed sometime within the last 10 years).  You'd think having those abutments out of the way would make for a wider roadway.

The lower bridge is the former W&LE West End Branch. It's been out of service for about a decade, and I believe it is now officially abandoned. The upper bridge is still in-service.

Removing the median pier from the low bridge doesn't buy you anything because you still have the piers from the high bridge. Removing the right abutment doesn't really get you anything, either, because there is a large retaining wall right in front of it that supports a pier for the high bridge. To move that retaining wall back appreciably (or at all?) you'd have to rebuilt large parts of the high railroad bridge. The land behind the bridge abutments also appears to be park, which adds another level of challenge to this.

Basically, unless you're willing to drop a lot of extra money, you're basically stuck with what you've got.

[74/171FAN]

In I-70 news, I found out this morning that the I-70/PA 31 conversion from a cloverleaf interchange to a diamond interchange and the reconstruction of I-70 is substantially complete.

[lepidopteran]

According to the project website, the plan also reconstructed the surrounding section of I-70, which included increasing the radius of two curves.

One thing the map does not indicate are traffic signals at the new diamond ramps.  That in itself says something about how overbuilt the full cloverleaf was.

[ARMOURERERIC]

In reference to the Banksville Interchange, you know how the highway runs under two adjacent railroad bridges, one taller and one shorter?  Surprisingly, the shorter bridge is still present in the "after" video, even though it looks like the tracks across it haven't been used in a long time (and another bridge that took them over Route 51 along the river was removed sometime within the last 10 years).  You'd think having those abutments out of the way would make for a wider roadway.

The lower bridge is the former W&LE West End Branch. It's been out of service for about a decade, and I believe it is now officially abandoned. The upper bridge is still in-service.

Removing the median pier from the low bridge doesn't buy you anything because you still have the piers from the high bridge. Removing the right abutment doesn't really get you anything, either, because there is a large retaining wall right in front of it that supports a pier for the high bridge. To move that retaining wall back appreciably (or at all?) you'd have to rebuilt large parts of the high railroad bridge. The land behind the bridge abutments also appears to be park, which adds another level of challenge to this.

Basically, unless you're willing to drop a lot of extra money, you're basically stuck with what you've got.

I thought I saw where one of the bridges was a historical landmark.

[74/171FAN]

(For PA 28) PennDOT - District 11 News: Southbound Route 28 Traffic Shift Wednesday Night in O’Hara Township

[74/171FAN]

When driving I-376 recently, I noticed that some signs were calling the I-376 BL a BS (so some signs show it as a Business Spur instead of a Business Loop).  I emailed District 11 today, and I received clarification that it is still a business loop so I guess those signs are an error.

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 11 News: Northbound Freeport Road Ramp to the Highland Park Bridge Permanent Closure Begins Monday in Sharpsburg

I am not sure if it is truly a permanent closure based on the news release.

It's a permanent closure of this particular ramp. In the future, traffic will turn left and merge onto the current southbound ramp to the Highland Park Bridge.

More on this:
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/07/23/freeport-road-highland-park-bridge-ramp-closure/

And some more:
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/07/26/penndot-closing-ramp-from-freeport-rd-to-highland-park-bridge/

PennDOT - District 11 News: Freeport Road Ramp to the Highland Park Bridge Reopening Today in Sharpsburg

(For I-70)  PennDOT - District 12 News: PennDOT Announces Virtual Plans Display for the Interstate 70 at Arnold City Interchange Improvement Project

[74/171FAN]

(For I-376, US 22, US 30, and PA 60) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 22/I-376 Interchange Improvement Project Online Public Meeting Wednesday

[MASTERNC]

(For I-376, US 22, US 30, and PA 60) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 22/I-376 Interchange Improvement Project Online Public Meeting Wednesday

Surprised they're redoing this interchange again.  Didn't they just eliminate some of the cloverleaf ramps?

[74/171FAN]

(For I-376, US 22, US 30, and PA 60) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 22/I-376 Interchange Improvement Project Online Public Meeting Wednesday

Surprised they're redoing this interchange again.  Didn't they just eliminate some of the cloverleaf ramps?

The I-376 Interstate Guide Page indicates that this was part of the conversion of PA 60 to I-376 back in 2009-2010.

The Route 22/30/60 project ran through November 2010, with loop ramps removed from PA 60 west to I-376.

[Bitmapped]

(For I-376, US 22, US 30, and PA 60) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 22/I-376 Interchange Improvement Project Online Public Meeting Wednesday

Surprised they're redoing this interchange again.  Didn't they just eliminate some of the cloverleaf ramps?

The I-376 Interstate Guide Page indicates that this was part of the conversion of PA 60 to I-376 back in 2009-2010.

The Route 22/30/60 project ran through November 2010, with loop ramps removed from PA 60 west to I-376.

It was an upgrade on the cheap. They reused the existing (original) overpass bridge basically as-is, and dropped two loop ramps to eliminate weaving in the interchange along I-376. There are still a lot of weave issues between this interchange and the Summit Park Drive one just north.

This is an area where making a couple new connections with adjoining roads could take a lot of traffic load off this interchange and the next one up I-376. Connecting the two parts of Montour Church Road just to the west, to allow access to shopping from US 22, would help. Realigning Campbells Run Road to meet PA 60 at Robinson Center Drive and/or extending Robinson Center Drive to a new I-376 partial interchange would also help.

I hope there is consideration at improving access with adjoining roads to allow traffic to bypass this interchange. Connected the two halves of Montour Church Road would allow

traffic to/from the west going to the shopping district to stay off I-376.

[74/171FAN]

(For I-376, US 22, US 30, and PA 60) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 22/I-376 Interchange Improvement Project Online Public Meeting Wednesday

The plan at the moment is to convert this interchange into a DDI including a connection from I-376 WB to PA 60 SB.

[Roadsguy]

(For I-376, US 22, US 30, and PA 60) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 22/I-376 Interchange Improvement Project Online Public Meeting Wednesday

The plan at the moment is to convert this interchange into a DDI including a connection from I-376 WB to PA 60 SB.

Yep; just attended the public meeting. It's too bad 22/30 won't be given two-lane, high-speed movements, but of course PennDOT doesn't exactly have a bottomless well of funds right now...

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 11 News: Wolf Administration Announces 2021 Pittsburgh Region Construction Season Wrap-up

[CanesFan27]

Growing up in the 80s, I vividly remember being curious about the Twin Rivers Scenic Road signs that had popped up along PA 48 and other roads near where I grew up. It was probably the first signed "touring route" I wanted to follow.  But I grew up - wanted to discover new things - and then moved to North Carolina.  About 22 years ago, a group of us tried to figure out where and what the Twin Rivers Scenic Road went and was, but we never got around to it.  Fast forward to this past fall and a photo and a question in a Facebook Group had me blow off the dust and dive in the deep reservoirs of roadgeek information to try and figure out this road.  Spoiler Alert: I still don't exactly know.

The Twin Rivers Scenic Road - A Mon Valley Mystery is up on the blog:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/01/twin-rivers-scenic-road-mon-valley.html

Plus, when was the last time you saw an article reference misc.transport.road as a source of information.

[74/171FAN]

(For PA 65) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 65 Ramp to Southbound I-79 Pattern Change Begins Next Week in Glenfield

[74/171FAN]

(For PA 228)  PennDOT - District 10 News: Travel Alert for The Ball's Bend Safety Improvement Project on Route 228 Middlesex Township

[74/171FAN]

(For PA 65) PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 65 Ramp to Southbound I-79 Pattern Change Begins Next Week in Glenfield

(For PA 65)  PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 65 On-ramps to Southbound I-79 Long-term Closure Begins Monday in Allegheny County

[74/171FAN]

(For PA 51 and I-70)  PennDOT - District 12 News: Route 51 Emergency Repairs Begin Monday in Rostraver Township

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 12 News: PennDOT Announces Virtual Plans Display for Route 2027 (Maple Drive) over I-70 at Speers Interchange-Bridge Replacement Project in Washington County

(For PA 18)  PennDOT - District 11 News: Route 18 Frankfort Road Bridge Replacement Online Public Meeting Wednesday