Mon-Fayette Expressway

[rickmastfan67]

They already had most of the overhead signage in place, and covered up, on northbound US 119 when I was there back in June.

I have some pictures of them from back in March that I haven't posted.  I also noticed back then that they were planning on co-signing PA-Turnpike-43 on US-119/US-40.

[PAHighways]

My guess is that the PA 43 designation will be extended north from the end of the Chadville Demonstration Project to the new 119/51 interchange with Turnpike 43 taking over from there.

[rickmastfan67]

Well, that picture of mine was on the PA-51 bridge over US-119.  That honsetly leads me to think they will post it as PA Turnpike 43 instead of PA-43 along US-119.  Of course, they could have changed that sign since I was there in March.

Anyways Jeff, make sure you or anybody else that attends the meet there gets pictures.   Especially if they have added exit numbers along US-119 to match PA Turnpike 43's mileage.

[PAHighways]

They might have replaced the plain PA 43 shields on the Chadville Demonstration Project with Turnpike 43 ones.  It just seems odd for there to be Turnpike shields on a PennDOT owned and maintained route.

No need to worry about the pictures, besides also needing the exit information.

[CanesFan27]

As of this past July it was still regular PA 43 on the Chadville section.

James,

You are close by why not head down and get photos and verify yourself?

[rickmastfan67]

Trust me, I would love to.  However the car isn't in good shape right now for me to go farther than 10 miles from home.  It badly needs an oil change.  Plus I have other stuff that I need to get done around town before Christmas and a planned trip.  Jeff as of right now is the closest to it, so I have no problem waiting for him or anybody else to get pictures at the roadmeet.  I was mostly only asking because of helping out Tim @ CHM.  Need to know if we need to merge two of the PA-43 files into one or not depending on the signage on US-119.

[PAHighways]

Don't worry about the exits, because I need them too.  I'll just post a link my 43 exit guide on the CHM message board when I get them.

I'd say merge the Chadville and Brownsville files together, since there will be a complete route whether it is posted PA 43 or PA Turnpike 43.

[rickmastfan67]

Don't worry about the exits, because I need them too.  I'll just post a link my 43 exit guide on the CHM message board when I get them.

I'd say merge the Chadville and Brownsville files together, since there will be a complete route whether it is posted PA 43 or PA Turnpike 43.

Well, you know Tim, he will not add anything till he has confirmation of a multiplex (doesn't matter what type of route, just as long as it's "43").

And Jeff, here's the link to that thread.

[PAHighways]

I took a trip to Uniontown today and posted my observations on the Pennsylvania Highways Moblog.

[rickmastfan67]

Pennsylvania Highways Moblog.

Link doesn't work.

EDIT: I just found the proper link: http://pahighways.tumblr.com/

[dave19]

I was through the area heading north on Christmas Eve - On I-68 eastbound, the BGSs for Exit 10 have been changed, with WV 43 replacing CR 857 and control cities of Cheat Lake and Uniontown. You can see the BGSs  posted on the unopened road, which was snow-covered but appears to be just about ready to open.
Continuing into PA on 857, I turned left onto Gans Road to get onto 43 - the signs at the interchange looked just like regular PA route signs but were green and white instead of black and white, with no "turnpike" wording on them.
The Chadville part still has the black and white PA 43 signs, and the END 43 assembly is still there where it meets 119 and 40. There are no more 43 signs until you get to that PA Turnpike 43 sign that Jeff mentions in his blog (just south of the West 40/Business 40 interchange).
Coming home, I returned via MD on I-68. Approaching Exit 10, the first BGS still had CR 857 but the next two had been changed to WV 43.

[CanesFan27]

Though I didn't take a photo of them, the non-TPK 43 shields are similar to the shortlived inverser PA TPK 43 shields that were present on 43 south of Uniontown in 1999-2000 - http://www.gribblenation.com/papics/various/green43.jpg

[PAHighways]

There is one like that at the future PA 88 interchange at the end of the expressway south of US 40.

[dave19]

WV section to open next month, without tolls for now:
http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/5357

[Alps]

It was said at the meet that they have to work on the mainline BGS and a couple of the entry ones to cover up "TOLL ROAD" because you can get to PA for free.

Re: earlier threads: The southern PA Tpk 43 shields are all correct, but there's one inverse one I spied on Gans Rd. Further up 857 they're all plain PA 43 shields.

[PAHighways]

The black and white 43s denote the Chadville Demonstration Project which PennDOT built and maintains.

[Mr_Northside]

WV section to open next month, without tolls for now:
http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/5357

Interesting... Prior articles posted about WV's plans to toll their section of 43 said that it would be a more obsolete-style toll plaza (quite possibly even without any "express" EZ-Pass lanes), staffed and everything.

This tollroadsnews article states the plan was for All-Electronic tolling, and they're not doing it yet because of issues with "license plate imaging and billing".

[Alps]

This tollroadsnews article states the plan was for All-Electronic tolling, and they're not doing it yet because of issues with "license plate imaging and billing".

Legal issues with laws that prevent video enforcement of traffic laws - they also may prevent video tolls.

[SP Cook]

The history on the "open road tolling" in WV is interesting.  The only other toll road in the state is the Turnpike, located at the opposite end of the state.  My views on its accounting and spending practices have been posted, and I will not repeat them here.

The DOH was going to have two contracts with the Turnpike to toll roads that the DOH would build and maintain.  One was a plan to toll all 38 miles of US 35 to pay for finishing the 12 mile gap in it, which the legislature killed when the Turnpike overplayed its hand and outlined its plans to toll existing freeway, already fully paid for by regular appropriations, and the level of the tolls, which were far too high for the alledged purpose; and to toll 43.  The Turnpike people figured out that 43 really is going to have quite low traffic counts.  So low that the actual costs of physical toll collection costs would not be covered in many, if not most, dayparts.  So they came up with this "open road tolling" deal.  The current Turnpike employees, seeing their jobs threatened, balked, and motorist advocates, seeing that the bill was unlimited and could form the basis of placing tolls on any road the state wished without further authorization, balked and the deal colapsed.

The current plan is to wait a while and see if something like mandatory EZ-Pass ever develops. 

Really, with state benefits and the pay levels, I agree that a physical toll taker workforce is not going to cover their costs on 43.

[dave19]

About a mile of the road opened yesterday:
http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=101911

[PAHighways]

Travelers beware, the Temporary road leading from leading from 1-68 to Fairchance Road will be closed permanently.

West Virginia apparently likes route designations that are math problems.

[vdeane]

No, it's because they hate route designations that are math problems.  The rest of the country uses complex numbers (i is the imaginary unit).

[PAHighways]

Mon-Fayette Expressway to Open July 11 - The State Journal

There will be two ribbon-cutting ceremonies:  one north of the Mason-Dixon Line and one south.

[MASTERNC]

http://www.wvmetronews.com/news.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=46525

The West Virginia portion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway is now open. The long anticipated four lane highway that will one day link Morgantown and Pittsburgh officially opened Monday.

Several miles of the road, which in Pennsylvania is called Route 43, has been open in Pennsylvania since 2000, but Monday marked the opening of the 3.9 mile stretch in West Virginia that runs from the state line to I-68 in Cheat Lake. Work continues on the I-68/Mon-Fayette interchange on the eastern side of Cheat Lake.

The 3.9 miles of roadway and bridges in West Virginia cost a total of $148.4 million with the final $13.4 million coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, enabling the highway to open a year earlier than scheduled. That includes two large bridges that make up the bulk of the cost–Morgans Run Bridge ($22.5 M) and Rubles Run Bridge ($19.7 M).

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin was the governor when the state received those federal stimulus dollars. He, along with WV Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox, made the completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway one of the top road priorities in the state.

"When I became governor I kept asking for a six year master plan and we went through two or three different versions,"  said Manchin before Monday morning's ribbon-cutting ceremony. "Paul Mattox finally said these are the projects that have begun that should be completed. They would help our citizens, they would help the commerce of our area and improve safety. These are things that were needed. So, we looked at them very pragmatically and said these are the things we're going to do. We put together a six year plan and almost six years to the day it's finished."

Several miles of the roadway is still being planned and constructed in Pennsylvania, mostly in and around Pittsburgh. Right now the four lane is open all the way from Cheat Lake to U.S. Route 51 just south of Pittsburgh.

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Note there is a nice photo taken about 2 miles north of I-68 as the northbound side descends from a hill.

[rickmastfan67]

U.S. Route 51 just south of Pittsburgh.

I didn't know that PA-51 was upgraded to be part of US-51. [/sarcasm]