Detours ahead on Hunker Waltz Mill Road, I-70 ramps at North Belle Vernon
Detours are expected beginning Monday for motorists driving on Hunker-Waltz Mill Road just outside Hunker and for those intending to use westbound on- and off-ramps on Interstate 70 at the North Belle Vernon exit.
Hunker-Waltz Mill Road will be closed between Penn Valley and New Stanton-Ruffs Dale roads in Hempfield while crews from Gulisek Construction conduct preservation work on the bridge that carries the road over Sewickley Creek.
A posted detour will divert traffic along portions of I-70, Buttermore Avenue/New Stanton-Ruffs Dale Road and Hunker Road/Hunker-Waltz Mill Road.
The detour is expected to continue through late September while workers apply a latex overlay on the concrete deck, repair drainage structures and concrete, seal cracks and joints and mill and pave the bridge approaches.
The work is part of a $3.03 million project meant to preserve eight bridges in Westmoreland and Fayette counties.
The I-70 ramps at North Belle Vernon’s Exit 42 will close from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
Golden Triangle Construction Co. will patch concrete pavement, repair drainage and replace barriers as part of a larger $9.69 million effort to preserve pavement on a stretch of the interstate between the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway and Route 906 (Belle Vernon-Monessen Road/Main Street). The work is expected to continue through late fall.
During the work, those intending to enter westbound I-70 at North Belle Vernon instead will head east on the interstate and then will reverse direction by taking Exit 43 (Donora/Fayette City). They will head north a short distance on Route 201, crossing I-70 and then entering the interstate’s westbound lanes.
Westbound drivers who want to exit at North Belle Vernon instead will continue west on I-70. They’ll take the off-ramp at Exit 41 (Belle Vernon/Monessen) and make two immediate lefts to return east on the interstate, to Exit 42.
Route 981 detour slated in Smithton
A section of Route 981 in Smithton will be closed to traffic as crews from CSX Transportation perform maintenance tasks at a rail crossing.
The closure, between Smithton Beach Road and Skyline Drive, is expected to be in place from 7 a.m. Thursday through 5 p.m. Saturday.
A detour will use portions of routes 981 and 51, I-70 and Dutch Hollow Road.
More road work planned
Meanwhile, PennDOT is also planning additional work on roads in Westmoreland County during the week beginning Monday:
• Paving will take place on Donohoe and North Greengate roads in Hempfield.
• A pavement preservation surface treatment will be applied on Second Avenue and Lowber, Mars Hill and Herminie-West Newton roads in Sewickley Township; Turner Valley and Guffey roads in North Huntingdon.
• An inlet will be repaired on North Greengate Road in Hempfield.
• Pipes and box culverts will be installed on Wilpen Road in Ligonier Township and Laughner Road in Fairfield.
• Parallel ditching will take place on Catalina Farm Road in East Huntington.
• Shoulder cutting will take place on Pellis, Slate Run, Willow Crossing and Bailey Farm-White School roads — all in Hempfield.
Crews will pick up litter, replace road signs and perform other tasks on various routes countywide.
Motorists should anticipate potential detours, lane restrictions and flaggers in work areas.
Residents can call PennDOT toll-free at 800-349-7623 to report road maintenance concerns and the locations of dead deer on state highways.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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