Mon-Fayette Expressway

[ObsidianTheFox]

I find this factoid rather amusing:

The Mon-Fayette Expressway was once proposed to be I-97 (though not contiguous with the Baltimore-Annapolis Interstate). At least in PA's twisted scheme, it would've fit right in the grid, being west of the current I-99 corridor.

If it ever gets completed, I'd be tempted to number it I-976 as an homage to that. (There isn't really a 2DI number that would fit for it IMO.)

[The Ghostbuster]

I would leave it PA/WV 43. I think the exits between Exit 8 and Exit 15 should have been numbered.

[Bitmapped]

I would leave it PA/WV 43. I think the exits between Exit 8 and Exit 15 should have been numbered.

I'm OK with keeping it a state route, but the current setup is wonky. In Pennsylvania, it's PA Turnpike 43 from the state line to Exit 8, then PA 43 to US 40/US 119. PA Turnpike 43 is signed with US 40/US 119 at some locations, but not others, on the Uniontown Bypass. PA Turnpike 43 restarts when the Mon-Fayette leaves the bypass.

PennDOT just did a big BGS replacement project around Uniontown but unfortunately didn't take advantage of the opportunity to improve the signing. At the very least, PA 43 should have been signed along the Uniontown Bypass if not just changing everything to PA Turnpike 43. IMO, they should have also relocated US 119 onto the free part of PA 43 south of Uniontown but that's a separate issue.

[vdeane]

I would leave it PA/WV 43. I think the exits between Exit 8 and Exit 15 should have been numbered.

Yeah, that's weird.  I could understand if they considered the primary route to be US 119... but the mile markers are clearly for PA 43.

[Bitmapped]

I would leave it PA/WV 43. I think the exits between Exit 8 and Exit 15 should have been numbered.

Yeah, that's weird.  I could understand if they considered the primary route to be US 119... but the mile markers are clearly for PA 43.

US 119 doesn't get onto the Mon-Fayette Expressway until at the Morgantown Road immediately south of US 40. All the mile markers south of there are for PA/Turnpike 43 because that's the only route on the highway between Morgantown Road and Exit 8 (Big Six Road).

PennDOT doesn't consider PA 43 to exist along the Uniontown bypass. There's an End PA 43 assembly northbound as you merge onto US 40. Since PennDOT doesn't generally number non-Interstate routes, the Uniontown bypass doesn't have numbers. It doesn't have mile markers, either.

[CentralPAGal]

I find this factoid rather amusing:

The Mon-Fayette Expressway was once proposed to be I-97 (though not contiguous with the Baltimore-Annapolis Interstate). At least in PA's twisted scheme, it would've fit right in the grid, being west of the current I-99 corridor.

If it ever gets completed, I'd be tempted to number it I-976 as an homage to that. (There isn't really a 2DI number that would fit for it IMO.)

Presuming that the Southern Beltway eventually is signed as I-576, I think I-776 would be a better fit (if not an I-X68)

[ARMOURERERIC]

I had a thought today about both the MFE in Monroeville and the future PA Turnpike widening/reconstruction at the Pittsburgh interchange:  With funding so tight on the MFE, would it make any sense to simplify the 376/22/76 interchange, maybe east to east and west to west for 22 access and use any monetary savings to build the MFE from 376 to 22 and use that interchange to cover the missing movements.

[vdeane]

PennDOT doesn't consider PA 43 to exist along the Uniontown bypass. There's an End PA 43 assembly northbound as you merge onto US 40. Since PennDOT doesn't generally number non-Interstate routes, the Uniontown bypass doesn't have numbers. It doesn't have mile markers, either.

Is this in error then?

[Bitmapped]

PennDOT doesn't consider PA 43 to exist along the Uniontown bypass. There's an End PA 43 assembly northbound as you merge onto US 40. Since PennDOT doesn't generally number non-Interstate routes, the Uniontown bypass doesn't have numbers. It doesn't have mile markers, either.

Is this in error then?

Essentially, yes.

PTC did a signage project about a decade ago that added "Toll Turnpike 43 FOLLOW {US 119}" BGS assemblies and put tenth mile markers on the south-of-Uniontown segment of the Mon-Fayette. They did the PTC part, PA 43, and the brief section of the Uniontown bypass between US 119 south and the Walnut Road Hill interchange, all with numbering consistent with Turnpike 43.

To the best of my recollection and GMSV, the mile markers never went north of the Walnut Road Hill interchange on the bypass. The standalone US 119 and US 40 parts of the bypass never got mile markers. None of the PennDOT-maintained sections got exit numbers. PennDOT never maintained or replaced the mile markers on their sections of roadway and they're now mostly missing, while PTC has continued to maintain the markers on their section.