Ross getting $2.2 million grant for McKnight-Siebert intersection upgrades

A plan to make major improvements at the heavily used intersection of McKnight and Siebert roads in Ross Township is one of five in Allegheny County that will be funded by a state grant.

The township will receive $2.2 million for new sidewalks along Siebert from McKnight to Woodland Road.

The money also will be used to install a second, southbound left-turn lane along McKnight Road and an additional receiving lane on Siebert Road, according to an announcement by Gov. Tom Wolf.

The governor has earmarked $44.5 million in a special transportation fund to pay for work on 50 highway, bridge, transit, aviation, and bike and pedestrian projects in 23 counties.

“Transportation is critical to connecting communities and economies, and we are an important partner in bringing progress across the state,” Wolf said in the Feb. 1 announcement. “These investments will improve overall mobility and safety while bolstering commercial projects.”

Steve Korbel, president of the Ross board of commissioners, called the governor’s announcement “great news” and thanked a litany of current and former state lawmakers for supporting the project inclusion in latest round of grants from the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.

“This grant, along with the grant the township received a few years ago, will make our community safer for drivers, pedestrians and those who use public transportation,” Korbel said.

The other projects in Allegheny County that will receive funding are:

• McKees Rocks Community Development Corp. — $1.9 million for multimodal transportation and green infrastructure improvements including streetscapes, ADA-compliant sidewalks and crosswalks, curbs, bus lanes, pedestrian circulation, bike racks, traffic signals and street lighting.

• Penn Hills — $3 million for paving throughout the municipality, complete work to make sidewalks accessible to people with physical challenges, improve accessibility for bicycle traffic.

• Pittsburgh Arena Real Estate Development — $1.4 million for transportation improvements to support redevelopment of the former Civic Arena site in the Lower Hill District.

• Sports & Exhibition Authority — $650,000 to create public open space, improve streetscapes, increase new accessible pedestrian pathways, bicycle routes, bus stop and bikeshare station.

Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TonyLaRussaTrib.