PennDOT Outlines Major Road Work For 2009

PITTSBURGH -- Get ready for the orange barrels and traffic backups, because the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has announced $369 million worth of road projects will begin soon.

WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Janelle Hall said PennDOT held a news conference Thursday to outline 40 major projects on its schedule in District 11.

Watch Janelle Hall's Report

Full List And Work Schedule: PennDOT Web Site

Up first is a Parkway North (Interstate 279) construction project stretching from the Camp Horne exit to Interstate 79 in Wexford. Starting Monday, traffic will be affected off-and-on until Fall 2009.

"If people are familiar with that area now, they know that 279 narrows down to a single lane at that point before it merges onto 79," PennDOT's Jim Struzzi said. "When we're finished this fall, you'll be able to have two lanes that continue northbound on 279 merging onto 79."

Work will also be done to improve traffic flow on the Parkway West.

"Essentially, going through there, you had a lot of difficult merging lanes coming to and from 79, and this will allow them -- in those lanes -- to continuously travel," Struzzi said.

Expect to see PennDOT crews repairing a wall near the Heinz plant on Route 28. It may tie up your outbound commute from the city of Pittsburgh.

Construction on the Parkway East (Interstate 376) will cause backups on the inbound side of the parkway, from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the Churchill exit -- not quite the whole way to the Squirrel Hill Tunnels.

"We do not anticipate any full closures on the Parkway East this summer," Struzzi said. "We will have ramp closures and off-peak lane closures. Essentially, it's going to be much less intrusive (than last summer) on the traveling public."

On Pittsburgh's South Side, PennDOT plans to add another lane of traffic on East Carson Street between 25th and 33rd streets to ease congestion near the Hot Metal Bridge.

More PennDOT Info: www.dot.state.pa.us/district11