New PA Turnpike Exchange To Be Built Near Pittsburgh

WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PA — A new $30 million interchange will link the Pennsylvania Turnpike with Route 130 in Penn Township. The interchange will be built between the Pittsburgh and Irwin interchanges, which are just 10 miles apart.

Turnpike commission and local elected officials hope the project will provide those living in Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs with greater access to neighboring counties and will encourage economic development in Westmoreland County.

Several interchange designs are being considered. Construction isn't expected to be completed until 2026.

Commission officials said the interchange and other significant capital projects can proceed because the agency largely has been released from a 14-year-old state mandate to provide $450 million annually to PennDOT.

“With these payments now in our rear-view mirror, we can finally begin to ramp up efforts to rebuild and add capacity to our 564-mileroadway network,” said Commission CEO Mark Compton said. “We are nowfree to plan critical roadway enhancements like new connections to improve access for motorists and deliver economic opportunities to neighboring communities."

Besides several new interchange projects, Compton said the commission can get back on track with its investment to rebuild and widen sections of its roadway — some of which are more than 81 years old. One of the projects will be to widen the turnpike to three lanes in each direction between Irwin, the new interchange and Monroeville.

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