Pittsburgh officials are close to finalizing the design for the Charles Anderson Bridge, which carries Boulevard of the Allies over Schenley Park, and connects Oakland to Squirrel Hill; construction is slated to begin in 2024. While that’s two years ahead of schedule, city officials and community members alike acknowledged at a meeting Wednesday night it still feels like a long time off.

Work on a plan for the Charles Anderson began in 2019.

The span is historic, which complicates things; Pittsburgh is receiving state and federal money, which adds additional burdens; and it runs over a park, which has its own quirks. Zachary Workman is the project lead for the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, and he explained rehabilitating the Charles Anderson means working through the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which can be quite a lengthy process.

“There’s a lot of considerations that go into making sure the project is really considering all those who are impacted, both the neighborhoods and the environment around it,” he said.

Still, the city was able to shift the anticipated 2026 construction date, which led to a question of whether there was any room to expedite it further.

The limiting factor is usually federal funding, said Kim Lucas, who leads the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. But in the last few years, Pittsburgh has “received more federal funding for our bridge projects than probably ever in the history of the city,” Lucas said.

“That funding is usually budgeted out to future years, and if you need to move it up, there are tradeoffs.”

Working with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (the regional planning organization), PennDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration, Pittsburgh was able to make tradeoffs, but the implication was there aren’t more to be made. Lucas also noted physical realities, such as rehabilitating old steel, limit speed.

Though the city’s design for the bridge is constrained by its historic designation, officials say they will be able to add a bike lane, while also keeping both sidewalks.

While the bridge has been closed to cars since this winter, it remained open to pedestrians and cyclists. Once construction starts, those users will also be detoured to other routes.

Another meeting with an updated design is expected later in the summer, and construction is expected to conclude in 2025.

In addition to talking about the Charles Anderson Bridge, city officials also provided a brief update on other affected bridges: the Panther Hollow Overpass and the Swinburne Bridge. Work on the former will begin during the work on Charles Anderson, and the latter will begin after (Swinburne currently serves as a detour for the Charles Anderson).

Stakeholders from Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Greenfield voiced numerous concerns about communication around and plans for Swinburne, and repeatedly asked city officials to reopen comments on the project and to commit to more meetings. They agreed to both of those requests.

View the full article at wesa.fm

Members of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), met on Tuesday at the new Butler County Community College in Ford City to collect public input for their long-range transportation plan.

The plan they are updating, according to an SPC press release, called SmartMoves for a Changing Region, was adopted in June 2019 and included more than $35 billion in regional transportation priorities for the next 25 years.

Caitlin O’Connor, SPC media point of contact, wrote in the release that the SPC is the area’s designated metropolitan planning organization and works closely with the 10 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including Armstrong County.

The agency also works closely with PennDOT on road improvement projects.

Ryan Gordon, manager, transportation program development for the SPC, presented a PowerPoint presentation about the plan during the meeting.

He said SmartMoves for a Changing Region includes a regional vision of a world-class, safe and well maintained, integrated transportation system that provides mobility for all, enables resilient communities and supports a globally competitive economy.

To achieve this vision, the long-range plan includes a list of projects currently within fiscal capacity and projects beyond the fiscal capacity, he said.

Mr. Gordon said the Regional Vision includes three major categories, including: transit projects, such as a West Busway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) extension to Pittsburgh International Airport and an East Busway extension to the east suburbs and the Mon Valley, among other projects.

The Regional Vision also includes an active transportation category, or funds for walking/biking trails and filling in gaps between trails, he said.

The active transportation category includes extending the Three Rivers Heritage Trail to Freeport; and connecting the Westmoreland Heritage Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage, the bike trail that runs through Homestead, among other projects.

The third category is roadways, that is, highway improvement projects such as the modernization of U.S. Route 30.

The Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), lasts 25 years, and is updated every four years.

When projects are moved from the LRTP to the short-term, two-year TIF (Transportation Improvement Program), it means those projects will soon be started, or are, in the case of the Margaret Road intersection, already underway.

Other Armstrong County projects moved to the 2021 or 2023 TIF list include preservation work on the Judge J. Frank Graff Bridge; rehabilitation of the 1/112th Infantry Bridge and Graff Ramp; Armstrong State Route 28 group bridge rehabilitations; and safety improvements to the Goheenville Dip.

According to Mr. Gordon’s PowerPoint presentation, Armstrong County projects in the current TIP include the Poverty Hill Bridge, work on the State Route 85-State Route 2001 intersection, U.S. Route 422 concrete preservation, Rural Valley Bridge #4, Brick Church Bridge #2, and the Pyra Road Bridge.

He said the projects will also be evaluated from an “environmental justice” perspective, which helps ensure projects do not negatively impact minority communities.

Enhanced broadband is also important and a needed improvement, Mr. Gordon said.

After the meeting, Harold Swan, a planning and programming manager for PennDOT, said improvements on State Route 28 north of Kittanning will likely include turning lanes and other work to make the road safer.

Darin Alviano of the Armstrong County Planning and Development office said the county is concerned with projects to the north, east, and in all parts of the county, not just in Kittanning.

Jeremy Dias of state Sen. Joe Pittman’s office submitted the following statement about the meeting between SPC staff members, local officials and PennDOT representatives:

“Sen. Pittman is always pleased to advocate and work to secure funding that addresses critical infrastructure needs within the 41st Senatorial district,” he wrote. “We are grateful for the partnerships that exist with PennDOT, SPC and Armstrong County and for their efforts to help advance transportation projects within the region.”

Public input

If a member of the public wasn’t able to attend the meeting, but still wants to provide their perspective on the transportation plans and issues, SPC members invited them to submit their comments before June 9.

Citizens can submit their comments either by email at comments@spcregion.org, by submitting an online form by fax at 412-391-9160; or by mailing comments to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s address at P.O. Box 101429, Pittsburgh, PA, 15237.

An SPC spokeswoman said SPC staff people respond to every comment.

View the full article at leadertimes.com

Two major interstate rehabilitation projects are planned in the coming years within Lawrence County.

Members of the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, county officials and representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation convened for a public meeting Monday to review the proposed, long-range transportation planning needs for the region.

The SPC officials, who hosted the meeting for public input, detailed long-range plans for Lawrence County’s roads, bridges and multimodal transportation. Municipal and agency officials also attended the session at the Hutchison Community Center in Neshannock Township.

According to information presented, $12.6 million has been committed to upgrade the entire stretch of Interstate 79 in Lawrence County, from the Butler County line to the Mercer County line.

The 16-mile section of Interstate 376, from Route 224 in Union Township to the Pennsylvania Turnpike in New Beaver Borough, also will be upgraded at a total cost of $7.6 million.

Dominick D’Andrea, SPC’s director of transportation, explained that the Transportation Improvement Plan is a four-year plan that is updated every two years. The long-range transportation plan looks ahead for 25 years and is upgraded every four years, he said.

“Public involvement is a key aspect” to the process, which focuses on investing and asset management with safety as the key, he said.

The current regional transportation improvement plan includes $1.9 billion in funding; the long-range funding is $10.78 billion through 2050, D’Andrea said.

The future investments in transportation planned in Lawrence County total $265 million, including highway, bridge and transit projects, he said.

These Lawrence County projects are on the list for the transportation improvement plan:

• Route 18 over an abandoned plant access road
• Route 18 in the city of New Castle, road preservation
• Route 65/East Washington Street
• Route 422 in Pulaski Township
• Frew Mill Road Bridge replacement
• East Washington Street Bridge replacement
• Route 18 upgrade from Liberty Street to Jefferson Street
• South Main Street Bridge replacement
• Union Township sidewalk upgrades

Projects listed on the long-range plan are:

• Replacement of the Mahoning Avenue Viaduct
• Replacement of the Route 422 bridge over the Shenango River
• Road preservation on Route 422 from the Ohio Line to Interstate 376
• Route 422 East, from new Butler Road to Route 16, road preservation
• Route 19, road preservation
• Route 18, resurfacing from the Beaver County line to the Mahoning River
• Route 18, reconstruction on Jefferson Street and Wilmington Road
• Route 18, reconstruction of the Columbus Inner Belt.

New Castle Area Transit Authority projects also are listed for upgrades, according to the SPC officials.

They are:

• Expanding and upgrading the bus garage, at $5.5 million
• Upgrades to the bus shelter, $,250,000
• Route 422 park and ride lot upgrades, $2.75 million.

Any member of the public who was unable to attend the meeting in-person, but would still like to provide input into the matters, is invited to submit their comments during the public comment period, through June 9. They can submit comments by email comments@spcregion.org, complete an online form, by fax at (412) 391-9160, or mail comments to Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s address at PO Box 101429, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

D’Andrea said the plans are to be adopted at the commission’s meeting in late June.

View the full article at ncnewsonline.com

There are only ten days left for the public to take a survey being conducted by the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, the ten-county transportation planning authority for our region.

The survey on public transit seeks information on riding habits such as the frequency you ride, and your demographics. It also asks about payment methods, including a question about what you would do if you were not able to use cash to pay your bus fare.

You can take the poll by visiting the Indiana County Officer of Planning & Development’s website, icopd.org. The deadline is May 31st. The SPC conducted a public meeting on Indiana County’s transportation needs and plans recently at PA Careerlink, on Indian Springs Road.

View the full article at wccsradio.com

Indiana County Office of Planning & Development Executive Director Byron G. Stauffer Jr. opened a Thursday public meeting at PA CareerLink in White Township conducted by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to gather feedback from area residents about long-term local transportation and infrastructure challenges. Seated at left is Ryan Gordon, SPC’s manager of Transportation Program Development.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is in the homestretch of developing a Long-Range Transportation Plan that would update its 2019 “SmartMoves for a Changing Region.”

As adopted in June 2019, the SPC plan focused on more than $35 billion in programs and projects for the 10-county region’s transportation priorities over 25 years.

“We are thinking as a region, not just Indiana County,” said Indiana County Office of Planning & Development Executive Director Byron G. Stauffer Jr., who started off a two-hour public meeting about that plan Thursday at the PA CareerLink offices in White Township.

It was one of a series of meetings being held across the southwest corner of the state by SPC, which also covers Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties, and the city of Pittsburgh.

As that plan is evolving toward approval next month, “there aren’t a lot of big changes here,” said Ryan Gordon, SPC’s manager of Transportation Program Development.

However, there were two significant ones over the past four years, Gordon said — the COVID-19 pandemic, and the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law by President Biden in November 2021.

From Indiana County, SPC board members include Stauffer, Commissioners R. Michael Keith, Robin A. Gorman and Sherene Hess, and Indiana County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Hilliard. Hess also serves on the board of SPC’s affiliate, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation.

There were questions from some among the approximately three dozen participants, on topics ranging from passenger rail service to Homer City, to upgrading state Route 286 between Clymer and U.S. Route 219 in Cambria County, to traffic signals in Indiana.

As Indiana Borough Council President Peter Broad said to a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 10 official in the audience, “I didn’t get any sense that people were listening,” as PennDOT took out the traffic signal on Philadelphia and 11th streets in downtown Indiana.

As PennDOT District 10 Planning and Program Manager Harold Swan insisted after the meeting, “we want to work in coordination with our municipalities.”

While there has been a continuing emphasis on improving the U.S. Route 422 link between Indiana and the Route 28 interchange near Kittanning, some, including Keith, wondered about a similar improvement for state Route 286 in rural eastern Indiana and western Cambria counties.

“It is a key connection to (U.S. Route) 219 and (Interstate) 80,” said Indiana County Planning Commission member Laurie LaFontaine of White Township. “Once you leave Clymer, (286) is an awful road.”

Homer City Mayor Arlene Wanatosky brought up the railroad issue in light of the planned shutdown this summer of Homer City Generation L.P.’s power plant next door in Center Township.

“Are those tracks going to be maintained?” she asked.

Stauffer said it was too early to see what will unfold, but said efforts are being made to aid areas affected by the pending shutdown.

Wanatosky also suggested that those tracks could be used for passenger rail traffic, connecting Indiana County with the train service that goes through Greensburg.

The meeting also featured a slide presentation, that included projects that will be included in that long-range plan, such as:

• Preservation of the Buena Vista Bridge carrying state Route 56 over Blacklick Creek in East Wheatfield Township (which has been renamed for Specialist Beverly S. Clark, who died in the Scud missile attack on the U.S. Army’s 14th Quartermaster Detachment in Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War).
• The First Sergeant Alexander Kelly Memorial Bridge, carrying state Route 286 over the Kiskiminetas River between Saltsburg and Loyalhanna Township, Westmoreland County, and named for a Saltsburg native who won the Medal of Honor for his service in the Union Army during the Civil War.
• U.S. Route 119 bridges over state Route 8001 (ramp to Business Route 422) and Hamill Road, both in White Township, as well as the Route 119 Indiana Bypass reconstruction, and Sullivan and Lutz School Road bridges.
• U.S. Route 422 bridges over Ben Franklin and Indian Springs roads and Old Route 119, all in White Township, as well as Route 422 between the Armstrong County line and the Indiana Bypass.
• U.S. Route 22 through Penn View, Blairsville and Armagh Bypass areas.
• Wayne Avenue safety project in the Indiana area.

There also was a summary of $173.76 million in planned projects involving Indiana County Transit Authority, or IndiGO, including more than $140 million for operations and maintenance, as well as funding for vehicles, bus stops and parking lots.

It was hardly a full listing — as was pointed out from the audience Thursday, one project not included is the widening of Oakland Avenue, a $19.83 million project that is expected to continue through the end of this year.

SPC plans other meetings such as that for Indiana County, including gatherings on May 23 at Butler County Community College’s Ford City campus, 1100 Fourth Ave., Ford City, for Armstrong County, and on May 30 for Westmoreland County in the Commissioners Public Meeting Room at the county courthouse along North Main Street in Greensburg.

View the full article at indianagazette.com

More than $1 billion could be spent on infrastructure and transportation projects in Washington, Greene, Fayette and Westmoreland counties over the next 27 years, officials from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) said Monday.

In a public meeting Monday at the Courthouse Square Building, representatives of the SPC said that two marquee projects in the county would be straightening out a curve on a portion of Interstate 70 that has seen several rollover truck crashes, and an adaptive signaling project on Route 19 that will pick up on traffic patterns, coordinate red lights, and allow for smoother traffic flow.

The SPC is the region’s metropolitan planning organization and it works with the 10 counties in the Pittsburgh metropolitan region, sending state and federal funds to infrastructure projects. Right now, the organization is updating “SmartMoves For a Changing Region,” the long-range transportation plan it adopted in 2019, and is hosting public meetings in each of the 10 counties to outline transportation priorities for both the short term and the long run and gather feedback from residents.

The SPC has divided projects into three phases: the first is for projects that are actively in the works and are slated to be carried out between now and 2026; a second, mid-term range, which stretches from 2027 to 2034; and a long-range phase that begins in 2035 and concludes in 2050. Overall, $35 billion will be spent on transportation and infrastructure projects in the region until the midpoint of the century, according to the SPC.

Throughout the region, bridges have been a specific focus, particularly in the wake of the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge, according to Ryan Gordon, SPC’s manager of transportation program development.

“Bridges continue to receive the highest degree of funding in the region,” he said.

Dominic D’Andrea, the SPC’s transportation planning director, amplified that point, saying that “we made a lot of progress on our bridges in the last 10 years. But there’s still a lot of work to do.” He added that the number of unsafe bridges has been halved during that time.

For instance, a $25 million project to preserve the Brownsville High Level Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 40 over the Monongahela River, is set for some time between 2027 and 2034. More than $3 million has also been set aside for work on the Donora-Monessen High Level Bridge between 2027 and 2034.

The SPC has scheduled a public meeting for Fayette County at the former Gallatin Bank Building on West Main Street in Uniontown on Wednesday, May 31, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. In Greene County, the meeting has been set for Thursday, June 1, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Greene County Career & Technology Center on Zimmerman Drive in Waynesburg.

Additional information is available at www.spcregion.org.

View the full article at observer-reporter.com

As part of its ongoing development of the region’s Long-Range Transportation Plan, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is hosting a public meeting for Indiana County residents on Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the PA CareerLink Building, 300 Indian Springs Road, White Township.

The meeting is an opportunity for the public to provide their opinions on local, long-term transportation and infrastructure challenges.

SPC is the area’s designated metropolitan planning organization, and works closely with the region’s 10 counties, including Indiana as well as Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

The city of Pittsburgh also is recognized as a separate member of SPC.

In June 2019, SPC adopted the region’s official long-range transportation plan, called “Smart Moves for a Changing Region,” which included over $35 billion of regional transportation priorities for the next 25 years.

As part of SPC’s efforts to periodically update the plan, it hosts meetings for the public to learn about the region’s long-term transportation and infrastructure challenges and provide their opinions on these issues.

If a member of the public is not able to attend the meeting in-person, but would still like to provide their perspective on these issues, they are invited to submit their comments during the public comment period (which runs until June 9).

They can submit comments by email at comments@spcregion.org, complete an online form at spcregion.org, send a fax to (412) 391-9160, or mail comments to Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, P.O. Box 101429, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

View the full article at indianagazette.com

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) held a public meeting Monday to inform county residents on the updates made to the “SmartMoves For A Changing Region” Long Term Plan for infrastructure and what projects are occurring through 2026.

Domenic D’Andrea is the Transportation Planning Director and he states that $660 million worth of projects have been identified to be improved through 2050 with another $1.3 billion worth of projects identified as line items that will allow quick action if necessary.

Angela Saunders, Transportation Planning Manager for PennDot described two projects that are in early engineering development. The first is an adaptive signaling project that will learn traffic patterns and coordinate stop lights on Route 19. The project will run 11.6 miles from the diverging diamond interchange in South Strabane Township, through North Strabane and Peters Townships to the Allegheny County line.

The second project under development is the area of Interstate 70 near Claysville that has seen several rollover crashes from tractor trailers. Plans call for the elimination of a curve and the straightening of I-70 and the replacement of two sister bridges in the vicinity.

According to D’Andrea, these projects are on the short term plan that runs through 2026. The long term plan runs through 2050. Plans for traffic, transportation, economic development and broadband expansion are included in the plan. To view the plan in its entirety and make comment visit the website at www.spcregion.org

View the full article at wpja.com

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — Residents in Washington County are getting a look at the long-term vision for their communities.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission wants to invest in hundreds of transportation and infrastructure projects over the next 25 years.

Long term, the price tag is more than $10 billion.

Monday afternoon in a town hall forum, plans were laid out to the Washington County community to get input that will eventually be included in the final plan.

Domenic D’Andrea is the director of transportation for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. The non-profit has been tasked with laying out long and short-term infrastructure plans in each of its counties in its region to get valuable input from residents. That’s in addition to the 500 to 600 active projects paid for with federal and state money.

Ryan Gordon is the transportation program development manager.

“We have a project in an area, we’re looking at these comments and we’re integrating those comments where we can in the design of the project,” said Gordon.

On the docket, investing in roadways and bridges and installing high-speed broadband internet.

“In Washington, we’re focused on the roadways that are the larger roadway networks. So we’re talking about state route 40, 19, 22,” said Gordon. “The Brownsville high-level bridge is an example. PA 88 over Peters Creek, bigger bridges, also Route 18 over Chartiers Creek, and also I-70 over Railroad Street.”

Installing high-speed broadband internet is also a high priority.

“Broadband as we found out during COVID is a form of infrastructure, a form of connectivity so our transportation plan includes connecting people to opportunity,” said D’Andrea.

The good news for Washington County, it’s already done some legwork to find out where the gaps are, so when funding is approved crews can get to work.

The short-range plan is a $1.9 billion dollar proposal. The long-range plan is $10.7 billion.

There is a 30-day public comment period that is open from now until June 9.

You can do so by clicking here. Information on how to submit comments can be found under the “Get Involved!” tab.

View the full article at wpxi.com

Residents in Washington County will have an opportunity next week to learn more about long-range transportation and infrastructure plans that will impact generations to come, whether it’s building new roads and bridges or installing high-speed broadband internet.

The Southwest Pennsylvania Commission is holding a two-hour town hall meeting at 3 p.m. Monday in the first-floor gathering room of the county’s Courthouse Square office building in Washington that will include a discussion of the region’s 25-year plan, along with a question-and-answer session with the public.

The meetings are being held this spring across the SPC’s 10-county region, and the discussion here will focus solely on Washington County and seek input from local residents.

“We are going to present specific projects that are in our plan for Washington County,” said Domenic D’Andrea, director of transportation planning for SPC. “And I think (the public will) be interested in how we put the plan together, along with the goals, the vision and the strategy in the plan.”

Many projects included in the long-range plan will be discussed during the meeting, which include various roads, bridges and other transit improvements, along with broadband installation in rural areas. The last long-range plan was revealed in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, so this version will offer a vision that shows the need for all people to have access to high-speed internet that became an integral part of daily life, whether it involved virtual learning, remote working or telemedicine for seniors.

“It’s about connecting people to opportunity,” D’Andrea said.

That has been an especially important point of emphasis in Washington County, with officials pushing broadband expansion since early 2022 with the help of federal stimulus money.

“I don’t think you can have a conversation about infrastructure without including broadband,” Washington County Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan said.

Representatives with the state Department of Transportation, along with local and county leaders like Irey Vaughan, will also be attending the town hall to offer their thoughts and listen to feedback from the community.

“This is an opportunity for our residents to come together and detail their vision for the county to see if we can include some of their wishes into planning by the regional Southwest Pennsylvania Commission,” she said.

While the long-range plan is constantly evolving with updates every five years, this one has also been assisted by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure bill passed in 2021 that is infusing more than a trillion dollars into various projects across the country. The five-year spending plan within the infrastructure bill has had a ripple effect on current projects and future plans.

“There are bridges on this long-range plan that would not have been funded without the (infrastructure bill),” said Ryan Gordon, manager of transportation program development at SPC.

The long-range plan can be found on the SPC’s website at www.spcregion.org, and there is a 30-day public comment period open from now until June 9. Information on how to submit comments can be found on the SPC’s website under the “Get Involved!” tab.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity to see how tax dollars at both the federal and state level are being planned for and being allocated and programmed to future projects,” Gordon said. “Those projects will help the region, they’ll help Washington County and they might be in your backyard.”

Similar meetings will be held in Fayette County at 5:30 p.m. May 31 at the former Gallatin Bank building at 2 W. Main St. in Uniontown, and then later in Greene County at 5 p.m. June 1 at the Greene County Career & Technology Center.

View the full article at observer-reporter.com