After more than 40 years of starts and stops and five years of construction, local and state officials cut the ribbon Thursday for a $900 million shortcut.
The 13-mile Southern Beltway, which links Route 22 to Interstate 79 along the border of Allegheny and Washington counties, is designed to provide an easier route to Pittsburgh International Airport. The goal is to offer airport travelers an alternative to the Parkway West, especially those coming from Washington County, and generate economic development on land around the roadway.
“It’s a generational project,” Yassmin Gramian, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission chairwoman and state Department of Transportation secretary, said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by more than 100 officials at the Route 22 interchange.
“This has been one of the most significant, challenging projects in recent history. We don’t see any brand-new highways anymore.”
The toll road will open Friday for traffic in sections throughout the day, first from I-79 to the airport, then in reverse. The agency expects the full highway to be open by 3 p.m. Friday.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike built the toll road under orders from the state Legislature using funds from the state's oil franchise tax. Turnpike CEO Mark Compton noted that state Act 61 requiring the agency to build the beltway and a series of other projects across the state was passed in 1985.
“What a long, strange trip it has been,” Mr. Compton said. “We truly believe now, if we built it, they will come.”
Brad Heigel, the turnpike’s chief engineer, pointed out that contractors met a “very aggressive schedule” to complete the project on schedule despite the COVID-19 pandemic and record rainfall that caused flooding problems near McDonald.
“A lot of folks have worked the last 30 years to make this a reality,” he said.
Crews moved 27 million cubic yards of dirt, cutting hills and filling in valleys to create a new toll road on land that became mostly forest several generations after coal mines were abandoned in the areas around McDonald, Oakdale, South Fayette, Cecil and Robinson in Washington County.
The highway, also known as Interstate 576, will have five interchanges: Route 22, Beech Hollow Road, McDonald-Midway (Fort Cherry Road), Route 50 and I-79. Parts of the I-79 interchange will be under construction until next spring, and the only two ramps open initially will carry traffic from northbound I-79 to westbound I-576 to the airport and from the airport on eastbound I-576 to southbound I-79.
The new highway also is expected to spur even more economic development around the airport because it will improve access to thousands of acres of land. The area is expected to draw warehousing and light industry, including spinoffs from the multibillion dollar Shell Chemical Appalachia cracker plant under construction less than 10 miles away in Potter, Beaver County.
State Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-South Fayette, said the project will go a long way toward keeping young people in the area — a big difference from when he was growing up and was told he would have to leave town to find work.
“I don’t want to hear that ever again,” he said. “This is going to spark future generational growth. It’s going to keep our kids in this area and bring new people to the area.
“It is that monumental, and you should be proud of what you have done.”
Mr. Ortitay, who spent hundreds of hours the past few years working with the turnpike and residents who had problems with flooding or noise related to construction, praised turnpike and elected officials for addressing concerns as they arose.
“This was a very tough project,” he said. “I think it shows that working together we can get anything done.”
The new highway joins with the Findlay Connector to provide a direct path to the airport that will have three toll gantries: two on the new beltway and one on the connector.
The charge for motorists with E-ZPass is $1.30 at each gantry for a total of $3.90. The toll is $7.80 for those without E-ZPass who use Toll By Plate and receive a bill in the mail.
Because of the placement of the gantries, motorists can use the highway without paying a toll from I-79 to Route 50 and from McDonald-Midway to Beech Hollow.
Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1470 or on Twitter @EdBlazina.
First Published: October 14, 2021, 4:28 p.m.
Updated: October 14, 2021, 9:29 p.m.
