Construction work is now underway in Pennsylvania on the extension to the Mon/Fayette Expressway. At present the toll road is 86km in length but once the extension work is complete it will measure 109km. This current US$214 million package of work is being carried out by contractor Trumbull Corporation.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s (PTC) Mon/Fayette Expressway (PA Turnpike 43) encompasses four separate projects. The first three Mon/Fayette projects have been built, connecting I-68 near Morgantown, West Virginia to PA Route 51 in Jefferson Hills, Allegheny County.
The PA Route 51 to I-376 Project is the final and the largest of the four Mon/Fayette Expressway projects. This project has been divided into two sections: north of the Monongahela River and south of the Monongahela River. The first section being constructed is south of the Monongahela River, between PA Route 51 in Jefferson Hills Borough to PA Route 837 in the City of Duquesne, Allegheny County.
Due to the size of this southern section, it has been broken into seven construction sections, which will include areas within Jefferson Hills Borough, West Mifflin Borough, Dravosburg, the City of Clairton and the City of Duquesne.
The PTC awarded the first construction contract in January 2023. As the sections with tolling points are completed, they will be opened to traffic. When construction of both the southern and northern sections of the PA Route 51 to I-376 Project is complete, the Mon/Fayette Expressway will allow traffic to travel from I-68 near Morgantown, West Virginia to I-376 in Monroeville, Allegheny County.
The aim of the project is to deliver a fast north–south link between Morgantown and Pittsburgh, providing an alternative route to I-79 and a stretch of PA 51 between Pittsburgh and Uniontown. It will also help to provide an economic boost to Fayette and Washington counties. The expressway extension works are due for completion in 2028.
