Traffic stoppages planned on I-70 in Rostraver as $120.6M project continues

Traffic on a 5-mile section of Interstate 70 will be stopped intermittently Thursday in Rostraver as part of a $120.6 million construction project to revamp the interchange with Route 51.

Rolling stoppages are planned in both directions between the Arnold City and Smithton exits from 10 a.m. to noon. The stoppages will depend on weather and operations.

West Penn Power will be repairing a utility pole and transferring existing power lines during the stoppages, according to a PennDOT spokesperson.

The reconstruction of the Interstate 70 and Route 51 interchange has the distinction of being the highest-dollar-value project ever bid in Penn­DOT’s District 12. Golden Triangle Construction Co. in Oakdale is handling the construction, which is expected to be completed in 2027.

The interchange is being replaced by a diverging diamond design. About 2 miles of Interstate 70 will be widened, and an approximately 1-mile section of Route 51 also will see improvements, including re-routing Finley Road behind the GetGo gas station and convenience store to create a four-way intersection with Route 981.

The diverging diamond interchange will have lanes of traffic on Route 51 switching — diverging — to the opposite side of the road and back again, through a signalized intersections. That will allow drivers to turn onto Interstate 70 without crossing oncoming traffic.

A pair of bridges will carry Route 51 over the interstate, replacing the existing single span. Project work underway or planned this year includes construction of embankments for the new Route 51 bridges, earth-moving to prepare for new on-ramps and deck and steel repairs on the Matthew Smelser Memorial Bridge in South Huntingdon.