It has been just under six months since Rich Fitzgerald walked into the Allegheny County Courthouse, something he did daily for over a dozen years as the county’s chief executive, usually with a phone in his hand trying to manage a crisis.

But today was different. Today he was there to attend the unveiling of his portrait, along with the portraits of the other two former county executives, Dan Onorato and the late Jim Roddey, honoring their place in county government as the first three to hold that office since 1998, when the county switched from three commissioners to a county executive and 15-member council.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation opened the public period for the proposed 2025 statewide transportation improvement program.

The program consists of road and bridge projects statewide that support Gov. Josh Shapiro’s vision of a safe and reliable transportation network. The comment period will remain open until July 3, 2024.

Members of the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission and PennDOT officials presented the plan for local projects at a public meeting of local elected officials earlier this month.

Penn Township commissioners approved the preliminary development plan for a new Pennsylvania Turnpike maintenance complex featuring nearly 8 acres of solar panels.
 
The complex — which will contain an office space, truck and maintenance garages and a salt storage building — will be located on a nearly 42-acre property with an entrance along Route 130.
 
Pending stormwater, sewage and driveway permit requirements, the complex is scheduled to be built by fall 2026, according to the turnpike’s website.

Executive Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Rich Fitzgerald, joins Larry Richert in the KDKA radio studio each Wednesday morning.

On this week’s show, Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites was on to talk about the great summer attractions the county has to offer like Ohiopyle State Park, Fallingwater, and Nemacolin.

The Indiana County Center for Economic Operations, in collaboration with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, is inviting the public to a listening session this afternoon with the Interagency Working Group on Coal & Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization.

The session is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. today at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex at 711 Pratt Drive on the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus.

Road projects totaling more than $186 million in costs are planned in Butler County over the next four years.

The development is not designed to prepare for an increase in traffic the region is expecting, but to help manage the traffic that is already here.

Mark Gordon, county chief of planning and economic development, is a voting member of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and said in a public meeting Monday, June 3, that the road projects are vital to Butler County’s growing economy.

Road projects totaling more than $186 million in costs are planned in Butler County over the next four years.

The development is not designed to prepare for an increase in traffic the region is expecting, but to help manage the traffic that is already here.

Mark Gordon, county chief of planning and economic development, is a voting member of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and said in a public meeting Monday, June 3, that the road projects are vital to Butler County’s growing economy.

Allegheny County will hold a virtual public hearing Thursday evening to get public input on the upcoming rehabilitation of the Patton Street Bridge in Wilmerding.

The project, which will result in the bridge across Turtle Creek being closed for about a year, likely is still two years away. The county’s Department of Public Works will hold a virtual meeting from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday to discuss the project, and registration is required.

Executive Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Rich Fitzgerlad, joins Larry Richert in the KDKA radio studio each Wednesday morning.

On this week’s show, Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure was on to talk about the HighPoint National Pro Motocross Race in Mount Morris that will take place on Father’s Day weekend.

Two years after it was passed into law, the federal Inflation Reduction Act and companion legislation continue to generate plenty of discussion over their potential as well as questioning as to how best to make use of them.

At a PNC Brunch & Learn and Networking Event by the Green Voice held at the Tower at PNC, a collection of executives and public officials explored the prospects for the region to come from the federal funding jolt of the $891 billion IRA, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, totaling $1.2 trillion nationally over 10 years and the $53 billion CHIPS and Science Act.