I have been reading the Post-Gazette with interest in the various arguments for and against extending the Mon-Fayette Expressway to connect with the Parkway East (“The $2 Billion Question: The Mon-Fayette Extension Is Not the Best Use,” April 23 editorial). My argument for it is to provide missing and badly needed highway access between Pittsburgh’s eastern and southern suburban communities.
We all know that Pittsburgh’s three rivers pose their own notorious difficulties getting around Pittsburgh. Yes, we have plenty of bridges in the area, but few are highway crossings outside of the Downtown area. For example, the east and the north are efficiently connected by the Pennsylvania Turnpike (which crosses the Allegheny). The north, west and south are well connected by I-79 (which crosses the Ohio).
But there is no equivalent highway crossing the Mon. Other than the Fort Pitt Bridge, in the middle of Downtown congestion, the next highway crossing upstream isn’t until I-70 way out near Belle Vernon!
So it is no wonder that despite being adjacent directions on the compass, some trips between the Pittsburgh area’s eastern and southern communities can take as long as an hour of crawling through urban congestion. A new highway crossing the Mon would relieve a lot of headaches for these drivers. And just as important, connecting this highway to the Parkway East will finally allow it to serve the function it was designed for so it will no longer be as the PG describes it, “underused.”
TONY POLOMBO
Penn Hills
First Published: April 26, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
