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

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is hosting an on-demand virtual public meeting and comment period for a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study exploring sustainable transportation funding options. The public meeting is accessible online at all hours of the day through June 1, 2021, at www.penndot.gov/funding. The PEL study, in support of the PennDOT Pathways program, is being conducted to identify near- and long-term alternative funding solutions and establish a methodology for their evaluation.

In February, PennDOT announced candidate bridge projects being considered as a part of the Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership (P3) Initiative. This initiative, the first of the PennDOT Pathways Program, was formed in response to one of the early findings of the PEL study – that tolling of major bridges in need of replacement or rehabilitation is a potentially viable near-term funding solution. The draft PEL study report is currently available for review and comment and identifies additional medium- to long-term funding alternatives that could be considered for implementation.

PennDOT encourages the public to review the materials presented in the virtual meeting and to provide comments, which will be accepted throughout the duration of the meeting. Online comments can be submitted directly from the meeting website or via other comment submission methods, including:

• Email: PennDOTPathways@pa.gov
• Hotline: 717-325-6129

For more information about the PennDOT Pathways program, visit www.penndot.gov/funding.

The Transportation Revenue Options Commission (TROC), which was established by Governor Tom Wolf’s Executive Order on March 12, today received a briefing on the draft PEL study. When completed, the final PEL study will be provided to the TROC.

PennDOT will make all reasonable modifications to policies, programs, and documents to ensure that people with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. In accordance with Governor Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the Virtual Public Meeting will be held online only.

To request assistance to participate in the virtual public meeting or review the PEL study, please contact PennDOT’s Communications Office by emailing dotcomm@pa.gov or calling 717-783-8800 from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM. PennDOT will not place a surcharge on an individual with a disability or those with limited English proficiency to cover the costs of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy. If you have other questions or challenges, please contact PennDOT’s Bureau of Equal Opportunity to request help by emailing RA-penndoteoreports@pa.gov or calling 1-800-468-4201; TTY (711).

Subscribe to statewide PennDOT news and traffic alerts at www.penndot.gov/news or choose a region under “Regional Offices.” Information about the state’s infrastructure and results the department is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at www.penndot.gov/results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.

Virtual public meeting available until June 1

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

Rich Fitzgerald, Tony Amadio and Leslie Osche
Elected Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary-Treasurer

Pittsburgh—The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) Board has elected Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald as its new Chairman, Beaver County Commissioner Tony Amadio as Vice Chairman, and Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche as Secretary-Treasurer. The team will play integral roles in coordinating economic development and transportation infrastructure investment decisions in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“County Executive Fitzgerald, Commissioner Amadio and Commissioner Osche will be a strong team for the challenges ahead. SPC is the place to make real progress and this team knows the value of coming together at the regional table,” said Jim Hassinger, SPC Executive Director.

SPC’s new Chairman, Mr. Fitzgerald, is in his third and final term as Allegheny County Executive. Widely recognized for his work ethic, Rich is also well known for bringing together people and organizations on regional issues.

“The region has a diverse economy which relies heavily upon the transportation infrastructure,” Fitzgerald said. “Working together through the SPC and other unique partnerships, we will continue to advocate for transportation funding at the federal and state levels and lobby the state for other revenue options for our counties to provide investments in their own infrastructure to meet our local goals.”

In addition to serving as Chair of the SPC, County Executive Fitzgerald also holds a number of statutory board appointments and memberships, is a member of the board of the County Executives of America and the Remake Learning Council and is part of the National Association of County Officials (NACo) Large Urban County Caucus.

Beaver County Commissioner Tony Amadio has been elected as SPC’s Vice Chairman. Tony Amadio took office for his first term as a Beaver County Commissioner on January 4, 2008 and was honored to be selected as Chairman of the Board of the Beaver County Commissioners at that time. A career public servant, Mr. Amadio brings over three decades of experience as a teacher and twenty-four years of experience as a township supervisor to the Beaver County Courthouse.

Commissioner Amadio helped successfully negotiate the building of a multi-billion dollar petrochemical complex in Beaver County, which in turn prompted additional development. This helped bring thousands of construction jobs to the county. In addition, he worked closely with PennDOT and other officials to ensure the completion of Crow’s Run Road, a more efficient route from Beaver County to Cranberry Township.

Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche has been elected as SPC’s Secretary-Treasurer. Commissioner Osche is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the County of Butler. Her career spans 30 years in non-profit leadership serving in executive roles with United Way of Butler County, Butler County Chamber of Commerce, St. Barnabas Health System, Lifesteps, Inc. and the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. She is a graduate of Butler High School and Duquesne University with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Honors English.

As Commissioner, she also serves on the Executive Board of the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board. She is a member of the Board of Fellows for the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics. She represents the Board of Commissioners on the Area Agency on Aging Committee; Parks and Recreation Committee; Children and Youth Advisory Board and the Emergency Communications Council. She and her fellow Commissioners were recently awarded the inaugural “Moe Coleman Let’s Work Together” Award, along with County Executive Fitzgerald, for demonstration of civil discourse and non-partisan cooperation.

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The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is the region’s forum for collaboration, planning and public decision-making. As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the ten-county region including the City of Pittsburgh and the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland, SPC is responsible for planning and prioritizing the use of state and federal transportation funds allocated to the region. As the Local Development District (LDD) and Economic Development District for Southwestern Pennsylvania (as designated by the U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce), SPC establishes regional economic development priorities and provides a wide range of public services to the region.

Full Official Release

If projections of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission are accurate, residents of the Connellsville area will begin the new year with the long awaited reopening of the McCray Robb Memorial Bridge along Crawford Avenue.

Representatives of the SPC met with area officials Tuesday to discuss present and upcoming projects.

Officials said the Crawford Avenue bridge is on schedule for completion by Dec. 29 of this year.

SPC representative Angela Baker said the work is moving well, and “hopefully, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony” to celebrate reopening of the span.

Baker said the bridge includes a bicycle lane and sidewalk, and public support has been good in the face of detours required by the bridge closing.

She said closing the span “was the only way to get constriction going with the detours with the help of the community.”

SPC representatives addressed both current and future transportation projects taking place in Fayette County, including the proposed connector for McClure Road, Kingview Road, and Mt. Pleasant near Route 119 in northern Fayette County.

The area will serve as a roundabout for safety purposes, with the exact date to begin construction not yet determined.

Dominic D’Andrea, director for the Office of Transportation Planning, said the Transportation Improvement Program addresses future investment in the region and specifically future transportation in Fayette County.

“Over $180 million has been earmarked for projects within Fayette County on the TIP,” D’Andrea said.

The projects are part of a four-year plan within a 25-year long range plan with updates made every two years. D’Andrea said the SPC meets on a monthly basis to address project bids that may be too high or too low that require “priorities to shift” on planned projects.

Another important area the SPC addressed was the Sheepskin Trail, and the various funding sources related to the trail project.

Public Involvement Director Ronda Craig said funding in many areas may only be spent for certain aspects of the project.

The Sheepskin Trail Project has been one of the priorities of the Fayette County Commissioners. Commissioner Scott Dunn said federal funds are available for title searches on properties, preliminary work, engineering work, and environmental issues.

The SPC develops the Long Range Transportation Plan and the Transportation Involvement Program, which plans for the region’s long term and short term, transportation and infrastructure programs, a van-pool service, and many other transportation planning initiatives.

The SPC goal is to provide accessibility and mobility in a safe, efficient, and effective manner for the region.

The SPC represents a 10-county region of western Pennsylvania, with Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites serving as vice chairman.

SPC Director Rich Fitzgerald said the commission was grateful for all the assistance and cooperation of PennDOT.

Among the projects discussed were the Layton Bridge, a bridge in West Newton, a bridge above Redstone Creek, and the Jefferson Avenue and Gallatin Avenue projects in the city of Uniontown.

Public input may always be given to the SPC through its website of spcregion.org.

View the full article at dailycourier.com.

As part of the region’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) that the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) manages, the organization is hosting a public meeting for Beaver County residents on Thursday, May 11, so they can provide their opinions on local, long-term transportation and infrastructure challenges.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is the region’s designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and works closely with the ten counties, including Beaver County, located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. In June 2019, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission adopted the region’s official long-range transportation plan called SmartMoves for a Changing Region, which included over $35 billion for the region’s transportation priorities over 25 years. As part of the organization’s efforts to periodically update the plan, it hosts meetings for the public to learn about our 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, but would still like to provide their opinion on a transportation and/or infrastructure issue that they would like to see addressed, they are invited to submit their comments during the public comment period which runs from May 11-June 9. Members of the public can submit their comments by email at comments@spcregion.org, completing an online form, by fax at 412-391-9160, or mailing comments to Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s address at PO Box 101429, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

WHEN:
Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 2 p.m.

WHO:
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission staff members
Beaver County officials
PennDOT representatives

WHERE:
Virtual (click the link below to access the meeting)
https://spcregion.webex.com/spcregion/j.php?MTID=mc0b999ea1c4abb6d0ba16a29b111aa96

View the full article at beavercountyradio.com

Reconstruction and intersection changes on Route 30 are among more than $1.1 billion in long-term highway projects proposed in a 25-year transportation plan for Westmoreland County.

The reconstruction of Route 30 would occur between Leger Road in North Huntingdon and the Irwin borough limits, and improvement is planned for two intersections in Hempfield — at Donohoe and Georges Station roads.

Rachel Duda, PennDOT District 12’s assistant district executive for design, said the state transportation department has yet to begin study of the proposed project at Georges Station Road, which she said Westmoreland planners suggested for consideration.

Without a left-turn signal or lane, traffic headed south on Georges Station often is backed up behind motorists waiting to turn left onto eastbound Route 30.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) planners have estimated in the draft version of its SmartMoves Long Range Transportation Plan that it could cost $29.5 million to improve that intersection.

“We need to do a little more work there to figure out what can be done,” said Angela Saunders, transportation planning manager for PennDOT District 12. “Because it is a very tight intersection, there may not be a lot of options. But we’re going to see what we can do.”

The SPC estimates it could cost $92.6 million to reconstruct the North Huntingdon stretch of Route 30 and $30 million to make roadway improvements at the Donohoe Road intersection with Route 30.

Duda said PennDOT is looking into another Hempfield project, at the intersection of Donohoe and Georges Station roads, that might be easier and quicker to achieve than the nearby Georges Station/Route 30 improvement. The crossroads on Donohoe, currently controlled by four-way stop signs, also is subject to traffic backups at peak hours.

Duda said preliminary engineering is underway for three options there: a traffic signal, a roundabout placed directly at the crossroads or a roundabout shifted toward one of the corners.

“That has not been decided yet,” she said. “Whenever we have an intersection project, we always start with a roundabout in mind because they’re most efficient and they’re safer. You never have someone turning left in front of you, so you eliminate angle crashes.”

$1.1 billion eyed for work

The SPC is proposing projects in Westmoreland County with a total value of $1.1 billion as part of its 10-county long-range transportation plan, which looks forward through 2050. Domenic D’Andrea, SPC’s director of transportation planning, said another $1.3 billion in spending can be allocated over those years among projects across PennDOT District 12, which includes Westmoreland, Fayette, Washington and Greene counties.

Since a previous long-range transportation plan was completed in 2019, D’Andrea said, the covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on transportation, along with other sectors of society. But additional federal and state funding has allowed the SPC and PennDOT to advance several Westmoreland projects to the current Transportation Improvement Plan of work scheduled through 2026.

Those include the second and third segments of the three-phase Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project, which is meant to improve alignments and intersections along the Route 981 corridor between Mt. Pleasant and Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.

September 2023 is the target date for completing the first project section, currently under construction, between Route 819 and Norvelt in Mt. Pleasant Township. Saunders said bids are expected to be let in October for the northern section of the project, between Pleasant Unity and the airport, and in October 2025 for the middle section, between Norvelt and Pleasant Unity.

All three Laurel Valley project sections represent an investment of more than $200 million, she said.

Other pending projects in Westmoreland include:

• Rehabilitation of the West Newton Bridge that carries Route 136 over the Youghiogheny River, at an estimated cost of $7 million.
• Replacement of the Salina Bridge over the Kiski River and Norfolk Southern Railroad, estimated at $13.3 million.
• Safety improvements on Route 30 between Route 48 in North Versailles, Allegheny County, and Malts Lane in North Huntingdon, with a $22.3 million price tag.

Bridge projects dominate

The West Newton Bridge project is intended to maintain the historic significance of the metal truss span, which was built in 1909. After undergoing previous work in 1957, 1982 and 2010, it has received a poor rating for its superstructure.

Bids for the new bridge rehab project are to be let in 2024.

“The bridge that exists will stay, and we’ll preserve all the historic parts of it,” Duda said, adding that a temporary bridge will be used during construction.

“Building a temporary bridge is something that’s crazy for a bridge that size,” she said. “It took a lot of planning.”

Otherwise, the project would have required a detour “way too long to be able to handle that kind of closure,” Saunders said.

Bidding for the Salina Bridge project is targeted for December, with construction to begin next year. The existing bridge will remain open to traffic as the replacement is constructed next to it.

“There will be some detours at the end when we’re tying into the new alignment,” Saunders said.

The largest chunk of funding available for the long-range transportation plan, 44%, will be devoted to bridge projects, while roadway improvements will account for 32%.

“In the last 10 years, our region has made very good progress in decreasing the number of poor-rated bridges,” D’Andrea said. “They have been cut in half, but we still have work to do.”

He said about 10% of state-owned bridges and 25% of locally owned bridges across the region remain in poor condition.

Additional Westmoreland bridge projects proposed in the long-range transportation plan, with associated cost estimates, include:

• Replacement/rehabilitation of the Walworth Viaduct bridge that carries Route 30 over Route 119: $17.7 million.
• Replacement/rehab of the Avonmore Bridge that carries Route 156 over the Kiski River: $6 million.
• Replacement/rehab of the Larimer Bridge that carries Route 993 over Brush Creek in North Huntingdon: $5.2 million.
• Preservation of the Route 30 bridge over Edna Road in Hempfield: $8.2 million.
• Preservation of the West Leechburg Bridge over the Kiski River: $5 million.
• Improvements to the bridge carrying Route 366 over Route 380 in Murrysville: $17.5 million.
• Rehabilitation of the bridge carrying White Cloud Road over Route 56 in Allegheny Township: $5.1 million.

Additional projects proposed

Other proposed long-term Westmoreland projects:

• Reconstruction of Route 66 from Route 22 north to the county line: $21.6 million.
• Reconfiguration of North Greengate Road in the vicinity of the railroad overpass in Hempfield: $15.5 million.
• Route 130 corridor review and improvements: $10 million.
• Improvements on Route 119 from the vicinity of the former Sony plant to Youngwood and from Youngwood to the Route 30 interchange: $137 million.
• Restoration of Route 119 in the area of the West Tec Drive exit: $4.5 million.
• Pavement preservation on Route 286 between the Allegheny County and Indiana County lines: $13.3 million.
• Preservation of Route 366 from the Allegheny County line to Route 66: $7.2 million.

Public transit addressed

SPC’s plan also calls for investing $408 million in public transit in Westmoreland County through 2050. Some proposed projects include a preventive maintenance program for Westmoreland Transit buses, at a cost of $16.5 million; resurfacing of a 245-space Park & Ride lot at Carpenter Lane and Route 30 in North Huntingdon, $3.7 million; and upgrading the fare collection system, $275,000.

Senior transit planner David Totten said the SPC is working on a regional mobile ticketing study that could be ready for review in August. He said it is examining the feasibility for neighboring authorities, including Westmoreland Transit and Pittsburgh Regional Transit, to “work together, maybe at the back office level, so that there would be interoperability between transit tickets.

“You could really make a trip across the whole region on public transit.”

D’Andrea said the SPC also has identified potential multimodal hub locations across the region, “where multiple transit agencies could come together to transfer folks.”

It’s working on a detailed study of one of those proposed hub sites, near the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, he said.

Comment deadline near

The long range transportation plan is set to be finalized by June 26, with public comments accepted through Friday, June 9.

Comments can be submitted via email to comments@spcregion.org. For more information, visit spcregion.org.

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

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) board this week elected Armstrong County Commissioner Pat Fabian to serve as Chair, Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites to serve as Vice-Chair, and Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure to serve as Secretary-Treasurer. Commissioners Fabian, Vicites, and McClure were elected by their fellow board members to these positions, and will serve a two-year term.

The board’s new officers will shape the commission’s work for the next several years and intend to focus on workforce and economic development, transportation planning, and other initiatives like investments in broadband, water resources, attracting business investments, and expanding pedestrian and bicycle trails throughout the region.

“Together, Commissioners Fabian, Vicites, and McClure make a dynamic team, and we are fortunate to have their leadership,” Executive Director of the SPC Rich Fitzgerald said.

“Our organization functions as a consensus builder and we work in a collaborative manner in order to support the needs of the entire region. We bring entities from the public and private sectors together to discuss wide-ranging issues that impact our 10 counties. By having Armstrong, Fayette, and Greene counties at the helm of our Board, I know that the Commissioners will elevate the priorities of all of our urban, suburban, and rural communities.”

Commissioner Fabian has served as County Commissioner since 2016. During his time as Commissioner, he has increased the County’s operating reserve fund from $600,000 to $8 million and led efforts to significantly change the County’s pension funds from $60 million to $85 million. Additionally, he has worked diligently to reduce the County’s debt by 20 percent since he was first elected. Prior to serving as County Commissioner, Fabian was a Supervisor in Manor Township. Before entering public serve, he spent more than 15 years as an outpatient and family therapist at the Family Counseling Center of Armstrong County where he was responsible for providing counseling to patients and creating individualized treatment plans. He has his Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Gannon University and his Master’s degree in Community Counseling from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

“I cannot wait to hit the ground running and serve the Board in this leadership role,” Chair of the SPC Pat Fabian said. “The entire region is well-positioned to work collectively as a team with one voice on major issues like job creation and broadband connectivity. While our approach to challenges may, at times, be different, we all have one goal—and that is to improve the overall quality of life for Southwestern Pennsylvania’s residents. We are able to advocate better for them when we all work together.”

Commissioner Vicites has served as Fayette County Commissioner two separate times. The Commissioner first served County residents from 1996 to 2011 and then again from 2016 till the present day. He was born and raised in Uniontown and has worked in county government for over 30 years. Prior to serving as County Commissioner, Vicites was the Fayette County Recycling Coordinator and started the Hard to Recycle Events at the County’s Fairgrounds, which has continued for over 30 years.

As County Commissioner, he has been instrumental in creating and retaining over 10,000 jobs and securing over $200 million in economic and infrastructure projects for Fayette County residents. He graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Human Resources from St. Francis University.

“I am excited to work with my fellow officers and board members on initiatives that will benefit Fayette County residents and the entire region,” Vice-Chair of the SPC Vince Vicites said. “We’ve made a lot of tangible progress in recent years on issues like economic investments and the expansion of trails, but there is still more work to do and we are ready for it.”

Commissioner McClure has served as Greene County Commissioner since 2020. She has been a lifelong resident of Greene County and prior to serving as County Commissioner, McClure was a registered nurse for over 25 years. As Commissioner, McClure has been focused on making the county a better place to live and work.

She is deeply committed to attracting businesses and industry development that strengthens the economic livelihood of Greene County, while ensuring that residents are still able to maintain the advantages of living in a rural community. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and her Master’s degree in Education from California University of Pennsylvania.

“I am looking forward to serving in this new role, and advocating for the needs of our residents,” Secretary-Treasurer of the SPC Betsy McClure said.

“Whether it is workforce development, increased access to transportation options, or outdoor recreational sites that spur local economies, our entire region is on the precipice of exciting growth.”

SPC employs 50 individuals that work on behalf the 10 county region in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As the federally designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO), local development district (LDD), and economic development district (EDA), the organization works to keep the region connected and moving forward. As part of this work, SPC helps counties, cities, municipalities and townships access approximately $39 billion in state and federal transportation and economic development funding that has been allocated to the region through 2045.

View the full article at: leadertimes.com.

The Port of Baltimore, which has been closed since a barge collided with and brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River, gets billions of tons and millions of dollars’ worth of goods shipped its way from the Pittsburgh region — including Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland counties — according to information provided over the weekend by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

While the data was gathered this past week, it came from a disaggregated freight analysis provided in 2017 from the Federal Highway Administration through the Eastern Transportation Coalition.

An SPC spokeswoman stressed that industry changes and market shifts make possible that the 2017 levels are not reflective of 2024, but, Caitlin O’Connor said, “it was the data that we were able to get our hands on” Friday.

In that year, $609,322,000 in goods were exported from southwestern Pennsylvania to the Port of Baltimore, representing a volume of 2.9 billion tons, while $616,322,000 in goods were imported through Baltimore to the SPC region, representing a volume of 188.96 million tons.

Exports included 3,766,180,000 tons of coal shipped out of the SPC coverage area, with 21.2 percent coming from Indiana, Armstrong and Westmoreland counties — 323.79 million tons from Indiana, 290.5 million tons from Armstrong, and 182.76 million tons from Westmoreland.

That translated into $327.07 million worth of coal exports from the 10-county SPC region (Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland, as well as Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence and Washington counties, as well as the city of Pittsburgh), including $28.12 million from Indiana County, $25.22 million from Armstrong County and $15.87 million from Westmoreland County.

The three counties also accounted for approximately a third of the 41.92 million tons of wood products and 25.14 million tons of logs shipped out from the Pittsburgh region through Baltimore.

That included 7.88 million tons of wood products and 2.61 million tons of logs from Westmoreland, 3.08 million tons of wood products and 3.29 million tons of logs from Indiana, and 2.63 million tons of wood products and 2.61 million tons of logs from Armstrong.

In turn, that translated into $38.39 million in exports of wood products from the SPC region, including $7.23 million from Westmoreland County, $2.81 million from Indiana County and $2.40 million from Armstrong County.

Imports to southwestern Pennsylvania included motorized vehicles, machinery, pharmaceuticals, base metals, plastics and rubber, and non-cereal agriculture products, with motorized vehicles providing the largest amount of imports in terms of cost, $539.16 million from the 10-county region, $68.75 million from Westmoreland County, $15.51 million from Indiana County and $11.01 million from Armstrong County.

Much of the commerce involves the more than 200 miles of commercially-navigable waterways in western Pennsylvania, including those in 13 counties covered by the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, Indiana, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Beaver, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence and Washington counties.

Mary Ann Bucci, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, said in comments quoted on her organization’s Facebook page that those who import to or export from Pittsburgh often come through Baltimore, as it’s a short truck or train ride away.

“The biggest challenge is going to be what port can handle these additional vessels,” she asked. “And that’s going to be a challenge in the short term.”

Other ports already have been reacting to that challenge. The Port of Philadelphia said this past week that it has received inquiries regarding diverted cargo. On www.philaport.com one finds ways that containers and schedules can be tracked.

The Port of Virginia, which covers shipping through Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News and Warren County, all in Virginia, said its operating team was already working with ocean carriers whose vessels were due to call Baltimore and offering the capability of its port to discharge cargoes as requested.

Also, the Associated Press reported, the governors of New York and New Jersey offered to take on cargo shipments that have been disrupted, to try to minimize supply chain problems.

View the full article at indianagazette.com.