PennDOT video previews plans for reconfigured I-70/Route 51 interchange

PennDOT has released a video detailing plans for improvements at the Interstate 70/Route 51 interchange while preparing for the possible start of construction on the project in 2022.

The project will widen cramped lanes on a 1.7-mile segment of the interstate in Sewickley while replacing the existing cloverleaf interchange with a diverging diamond format. The revised interchange will include lengthened entrance and exit ramps for motorists traveling between the two highways and will eliminate stop signs at those access points.

As noted on the project website, the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) will have lanes of traffic on Route 51 switching — diverging — to the opposite side of the road and back again, through a pair of signalized intersections. That will allow drivers to turn left from Route 51 onto I-70 without crossing oncoming traffic.

A pair of bridges will carry Route 51 over the interstate, replacing the existing single span.

There are about 130 DDIs across the country, including one nearby in Washington County, where the diverging lanes of Route 19 cross beneath I-70.

The I-70/51 project video runs a little over 6 minutes in length and includes animated segments showing how traffic will move through the reconfigured interchange.

Additional segments show other aspects of the project: An improved stretch of I-70, with a pair of 12-foot-wide travel lanes in each direction, 12-foot-wide shoulders and a 10-foot-wide median; increased clearance under a Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad bridge that crosses I-70; relocation of Finley Road to form a four-way intersection with routes 981 and 51; a new left-turn lane on Route 51 at Ridge Road.

Visit i-70projects.com to view a map of the interstate corridor. Click on the blue icon at the Route 51 intersection to view a detailed project map and other information about the planned improvements.

The map on the main web page can be used to check on the status of other PennDOT projects spaced along I-70 between New Stanton and the West Virginia border.

The I-70/51 project is in the final design stage, with construction tentatively slated for 2022-2025. It carries an estimated price tag of up to $135 million.