PennDOT reaches major milestone for I-79 interchange reconstruction project
There is no question that the Commercial Street Bridge project was the big project of the year for PennDOT, but it wasn't the only big project taking place.
Quietly in the shadows, another major project has been moving along and recently reached a major milestone.
The Wexford interchange reconstruction is more than just rebuilding; it's an entire reimagining of an interchange that has become a headache for those who use it.
The project began a year ago and has officially reached the halfway point.
"We are on schedule," said PennDOT Senior Assistant Construction Engineer Steve Sneddon. "We are on track to meet our milestones and our completion date. Contractors have been putting in a lot of long hours, including working over the weekend, and you can really see that out there when you drive through."
For several weeks, I-79 has been closing or restricted during the overnight hours as the beams for the flyover bridges have arrived and been put into place, and now, according to Sneddon, the beam-setting process is complete.
As a result, now you can see how northbound exiting and entering traffic will be flying over the interstate.
"That was a big milestone for us to get those beams up over I-79," Sneddon said. "It went well. They're there, and so now, the process continues."
With that work out of the way, Sneddon said that they do not anticipate any more closures on I-79.
Coming up next, the bridges will be finished with the end goal of putting all of the entering and exiting traffic of I-79 through a single intersection on the west side of the interstate, and eliminating the existing intersection on the east side.
"You should see just an overall net improvement for congestion, safety, less queuing, and more efficient operation of all the traffic in the area," he said.
The $46 million question is: when?
Sneddon said the full contract completion date is October 2027. While weather could be a factor, if all goes well, it looks like in early November, it could be open to traffic.
