Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Little to change -- other than name
The Daily News While $1 million in construction is planned to upgrade an interchange near Pittsburgh International Airport, little else will be changed except for signage as three highways west of the tunnel - Interstate 279, Route 22/30 and Route 60 - are redesignated as Interstate 376.
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Interstate 376 is going to expand from the Fort Pitt Tunnel to Beaver County before the end of the decade.
While $1 million in construction is planned to upgrade an interchange near Pittsburgh International Airport, little else will be changed except for signage as three highways west of the tunnel - Interstate 279, Route 22/30 and Route 60 - are redesignated as Interstate 376.
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As I-376 east of the Fort Pitt Tunnel has been known as the Parkway East and I-279 as the Parkway North as it rolls from Interstate 79 north of Pittsburgh to downtown, the other highways west of the tunnel have been known as the Parkway West.
"The redesignation of the Parkway West will increase accessibility and location identity to the business corridor along the Parkway," U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn Hills, said Monday.
Santorum joined U.S. Reps. Melissa Hart, R-Bradford Woods, and Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, as well as Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato for the announcement at the airport in Findlay Twp.
"The I-376 designation is a logical and critical step toward improving our regional transportation system, and it will help spark additional development along the airport corridor," Onorato said.
Onorato long has stressed his interest in sparking economic growth in the airport corridor, as well as in the brownfields along the county's rivers. Last week, he came to Duquesne to announce $8 million in federal loans and grants for the former millsites there and in McKeesport.
Redesignation won't happen overnight. Officials said the process will not be complete until January 2009.
Santorum also announced $1 million for upgrading the Route 22/30 interchange with Route 60. It was included in long-term highway funding approved earlier this year by Congress.
"The current interchange between Route 60 and Route 22/30 is outdated and the turn is dangerous," Murphy said. "The redesign will make it safer (and) increased access along the Route 22/30 corridor will lead to future development and growth in the area."
Murphy's 18th Congressional District includes the airport corridor, as well as other Pittsburgh suburbs in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties. In the Mon-Yough area, Murphy represents White Oak, Elizabeth Twp. and North Huntingdon Twp.
His district also extends east to the vicinity of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport outside Latrobe.
Monday, Gov. Ed Rendell announced a state grant of $500,000 for aviation hangar construction at the Palmer airfield as one of nine grants awarded to airports throughout Pennsylvania.
I-376's easternmost end is in Monroeville, where it has interchanges with Route 48 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
PennDOT District 11 officials said Monday lane restrictions will take place over the next week for bridge deck repair work on the Parkway East between the turnpike and Rodi Road interchanges.
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