Mon Fayette Expressway

Despite severe winter weather - where's that "global warming" they promised us? - the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission opened a new piece of the Mon Fayette Expressway (MFE, PA43) near Uniontown PA south of Pittsburgh Monday morning.

West Virginia Turnpike staff and contractors are busy with new toll systems. They're doing their first toll system rebuild on the Turnpike itself since their original electronic system was installed for the introduction of E-ZPass  in 1999. And they're acting as a toll collection contractor for West Virginia DOT on two other toll projects - Mon Fayette Expressway (WV43) and US35. (NOTE CORRECTION AT END)

West Virginia's Parkways Authority so-called (it has no Parkway) that runs the state Turnpike, cosigned I-77/I-64 through the Appalachian Mountains, is taking on two new toll projects. Their board of directors this week approved the Authority managing:

- a short stretch of about 4 miles, 7km in West Virginia of the far southern end of the Mon Fayette Expressway from the Pennsylvania state line to an interchange with I-68 near Cheat Lake/Morgantown

- 32 miles, 51km of US35 being upgraded from a rural 2 laner to a new parallel 4 lane expressway

By the fall of 2010 West Virginia DOT officials say, their tail end portion of the Mon Fayette Expressway (MFE) should be open to traffic. It has been a $150m project only about 6.2km, 3.85mi long and it will have taken six years but it involves a nice 3-level 'T' interchange at I-68 the southern end of the MFE, relocation of local roads, a couple of long bridges, wetlands mitigation and some deep cuts and fills for 2x2 lane expressway.

Three groups have expressed interest in public private partnerships (P3s) with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission over two projects on the Southern Beltway and the northern portion of the Mon Fayette Expressway. The groups are:

1. MVP3 (Mon Valley Public Private Partners)

- HDR Inc./Kimball Corp./Gannett Fleming Inc./Figg Engineering Group, design

The Penn Pike Commission has deferred the response date on their request for concepts/solutions on the completion of the Mon Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway to Jan 15 2009. Questions will be accepted to Dec 17.

The Commission says it is trying to find investors who can make viable projects out of three remaining segments it cannot fund by traditional public sector toll financing or tax-based grants.

This covers:

They "cut the ribbon" officially this morning on the latest segment of the Mon Fayette Expressway (MFE) south of Pittsburgh PA. Called Phase 1 of the Uniontown to Brownsville segment it is 8.2 miles (13.2km) stretching between Uniontown and Redstone Township. Phase 1 is 2+2 expressway lanes, parallel with and just north of US40, along the route of the National Road, later the National Pike and in the early 20th century the Lincoln Highway.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has issued a Request for Concepts and Solutions to further a public private partnership (P3) to build all or major parts of the uncompleted Mon Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway near Pittsburgh. About 120 people attended an informational session in Harrisburg at a hotel auditorium not far from the Turnpike's head offices Sept 17.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has scheduled a meeting Sept 17 in Harrisburg for companies interested in what they call a public private partnership (P3) for the remaining three sections of the Mon Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway near Pittsburgh. We think it's a toll concession they have in mind. (see Terminology at bottom)

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission at a meeting today approved a staff proposal to advertise for expressions of interest in a toll concession to build three remaining sections of the connected Mon-Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway projects south of Pittsburgh. They constitute some 83km (51.6 miles) of expressway with a project cost of about $5.2b, the Turnpike says in a statement issued after the meeting.