Published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, by Tom Fontaine

May 12, 2014

A 13-mile highway connecting Interstate 79 and Route 22 in Washington County will help spur economic development and ease congestion across the region, Gov. Tom Corbett said Monday at a ceremony marking the start of the $550 million project.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike awarded the first two contracts for the so-called Southern Beltway project in January.

It is paying Miami-based CDR Maguire $15 million to manage construction and Mosites Construction Co. $14 million to build dual bridges that will carry the Southern Beltway over Route 22 in Robinson, Washington County.

When completed in 2019, the Southern Beltway will let motorists on I-79 get to Pittsburgh International Airport without using the often congested Parkway West.

Corbett said that would be a boon for those working in the region's booming natural gas industry. Many related companies are based in the sprawling Southpointe business park along I-79 in Cecil. The region also is vying for a multibillion petrochemical plant in Beaver County.

“Access back and forth between the areas will be considerably shortened,” Corbett said.

The project had been on hold for years. The $2.3 billion transportation funding package adopted last year breathed life into it.

The turnpike opened the first leg of the Southern Beltway in 2006. Known as the Findlay Connector, the six-mile, $238 million section extends from I-376 near Pittsburgh International Airport to Route 22.

Turnpike data show the Findlay Connector is used by about 4,500 vehicles a day, a fraction of the 12,000 average daily vehicles that traffic studies predicted. Turnpike CEO Mark Compton predicts the Southern Beltway's opening will immediately double that traffic.

(Tom Fontaine, "$550 million Southern Beltway project launches," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 5/12/14)