Virtual meeting set to update public on Laurel Valley road project in Unity

PennDOT will hold a virtual meeting this month for the public to review and comment on plans for the northern section of the proposed Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project.

The project proposes an alternate, improved alignment for 11 miles of the Route 981 corridor, between Route 819 in Mt. Pleasant Township and the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. The new alignment would provide two wider 12-foot travel lanes and 8-foot shoulders.

The northern end of the project, referred to as Section 3 or Section Y10 in PennDOT documents, is a 2.5-mile segment in Unity, between Route 130 and the airport.

Because of covid-19 restrictions on large gatherings, project plans and resources will be available online at laurelvalleyproject.com from 5 p.m. Tuesday until 5 p.m. on Dec. 15.

PennDOT project manager Troy Pritts said visitors to the website will see a recorded presentation by PennDOT District 12 District Executive William Kovach and an interactive project map.

Those viewing the site will be able to fill in a comment box and save it for project planners to review.

“It’s almost like a sticky note,” Pritts said. “You’ll be able to add a comment about a point of interest where there may be a drainage issue or an environmental feature.”

Pritts said PennDOT is looking to identify any cultural or environmental resources that may be impacted along the preferred road alignment now that Section 3 of the project is in the early preliminary design phase.

To improve safety, access and mobility, PennDOT is proposing to shift traffic from Route 981 to an alignment mostly following Route 2023, farther east.

“It’s a much straighter alignment than existing Route 981 and a much less developed stretch of road,” Pritts said.

The northern end of the project would reconnect with Route 981 by veering along an existing road through a newer section of the Westmoreland Airpark industrial site.

Depending on funding availability, PennDOT is projecting that the Laurel Valley project’s Section 3 could advance to final design sometime between 2022 and 2024, with construction potentially beginning in early 2024.

Website visitors also will be updated on the two other sections of the overall 11-mile Laurel Valley project.

Section 1, which is in the final design phase, covers 4.5 miles from Rt. 819 to the village of Norvelt in Mt. Pleasant Township. Part of the new alignment shifts to the west of existing Route 981, for about one mile, resulting in fewer property impacts.

“It’s moving along, and we fully expect we’ll be able to open bids next summer and begin construction in late summer of next year,” Pritts said.

Three intersections along Route 981 are to be converted to roundabouts: at Route 819; at Hecla Road and State Street; and at the junction with Hecla, Mt. Pleasant and Kecksburg roads in Norvelt.

Section 2, the central segment stretching about 3.5 miles between Norvelt and Route 130, has a projected construction target of 2025 to 2026. As proposed, it would follow Route 2023 for much of its length.

Pritts said planners are studying options for detouring around a cemetery that is split by Route 2023.

Visitors to the project website may add or update their information on a contact list.

Those who don’t have internet access may obtain project handouts and comment forms from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Dec. 11 and on Dec. 14 at the airport’s concierge desk, the Westmoreland County Department of Planning and Development in Greensburg and at the Unity and Mt. Pleasant township buildings.