I-70 Belle Vernon Bridge to Bentleyville

Design Underway

Preliminary Engineering for the project began on Sept. 16, 2020. The project will consider mainline improvements along Interstate 70 (I-70) in the project area that includes the Lover Interchange (Exit 36). The purpose of this reconstruction project is to:

• Improve this section of I-70 in accordance with PennDOT District 12’s I-70 Modernization Plan that will provide a consistent typical section along the larger I-70 corridor, in Washington and Westmoreland counties.
• Address system linkage, structure, and pavement needs.

This project will:

• Reconstruct all pavement
• Provide two 12-foot lanes in each direction
• Widen the median to 10 feet
• Include 12-foot shoulders on each side of the roadway
• Provide a swale or buffer beside the shoulder

The Project Team reviewed several options for the interchange:

1. Remove bridge and ramps
2. Bridge replacement only
3. Replace existing half diamond
4. Build new full diamond interchange

The project team developed an Alternatives Analysis report which evaluated each of the alternatives related to safety, traffic, environmental, and right-of-way impacts, costs, and public involvement. The report was approved by PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on June 22, 2022 and recommended a new full diamond interchange at the Lover Interchange (Exit 36).

Key features of the project:

• The Lover Interchange (Exit 36) will be reconstructed as a full access diamond interchange.
• The bridge that carries Twin Bridges Road over I-70 at the interchange will be raised approximately 4.5 feet to provide adequate clearance over I-70 and have three lanes with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane.
  • The existing bridge was built in 1958 and is in poor condition with substandard vertical and horizontal clearance.
  • The existing bridge currently has a daily traffic volume of 2,000 vehicles and traffic data indicates that most drivers who use the bridge are accessing the interchange and I-70, and that most traffic comes from the south side of I-70.