PennDOT's Rt. 51 project in Jefferson Hills undergoing a significant change this week
Another major crossover road project in the Pittsburgh area is approaching a turning point this week.
PennDOT's Route 51 reconstruction project in the South Hills will be undergoing a significant change and John Shumway has what you need to do know and what you can expect.
The crossover project that's been sending northbound traffic into the southbound lanes is in its final week.
The updating of Route 51 through Pleasant Hills and Jefferson Hills is about to be crossover free.
"Friday evening, after the evening rush, we'll set up our temporary traffic control measures and enter in our third and final phase for the year," said PennDOT Assistant Executive for Construction Doug Thompson.
Thompson says the northbound traffic will return to its proper side of the roadway.
"We'll push all the traffic to the outside," Thompson said. "We'll have a single lane northbound, southbound, in either direction, outside lanes, so they can make right hand turns into the businesses through there."
Under the new configuration, there will be left hand turns at the traffic signals.
"Then we're going to work in the medians and repave those turning lanes here through mid to late October," Thompson said.
When the center portion of the roadway is completed, all lanes will be opened and traffic patterns will go back to normal.
"We'll have a winter hiatus there and then we'll be back next spring for year number two," Thompson said.
When PennDOT comes back in the spring, they'll work on the stretch of Route 51 from East Bruceton Road to the area near the former Century III Mall next year.
The following year, they'll work on the stretch from the former Century III Mall to Lebanon Church Road interchange, both using the same single lane and crossover method each year.