In the Dec. 12 oped piece “Gov.-elect Tom Wolf Should Complete the Mon-Fayette Expressway,” Joe Kirk, executive director of the Mon Valley Progress Council, makes excellent sense.
A little over 11 years ago, I was out of work and looking for a position that would match my skills. I lived in Jefferson Hills, but all the opportunities were in the opposite direction in the north. Why? Because serving the east, west and northern parts of Allegheny County were good roads! Down south we have Route 51, and you are not going to get anywhere fast through that traffic. I know, because I landed a job at the Airport Office Park and have been making the drive for 11.5 years.
Twelve years ago, I spoke at a Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission meeting on the need for the expressway to bring jobs and opportunities to the Mon Valley. Twelve years later, I am looking for work once again and all my opportunities are in the north once again.
My family loved living and growing in Jefferson Hills. Now we live in Finleyville, but we still need a way to Pittsburgh, a Squirrel Hill-tunnel bypass and growth. Let’s not wait another 12 years. It’s time for the Mon Valley to get its chance to develop like Cranberry and the airport corridor, and the Mon Valley Expressway is the road to that opportunity.
So, please, Gov.-elect Wolf, take the next step and do all you can do to complete the Mon-Fayette Expressway for jobs and growth in the Mon Valley.
JOHN A. LASLO
Finleyville
First Published: December 31, 2014, 5:00 a.m.