PITTSBURGH — After 40 years of trying to make the Mon-Fayette Expressway happen, Turnpike officials pulled the plug on the project Tuesday night. Local leaders told Channel 11 that it’s no longer a priority.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission decided to stop engineering-design activities after the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s decision to terminate the project.
"The PA Turnpike has a legislative mandate to develop the Mon-Fayette Expressway, but our role is not to serve as an advocate for the project," said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton in a news release. "This is a regional project, and the decision as to whether it is of value to the region should be made by those who live there. If the region does not want to move forward with the expressway, we will certainly respect their decision."
Work on the fourth and final part of the expressway began in 2004 and would have connected Route 51 in Jefferson Hills with 376 in Monroeville.
The Turnpike Commission announced that it is stopping the project because there isn’t enough community support in the region, adding this project costs $2 billion making it the largest and most expensive. The commission said they would be willing to reallocate the funds to other PA Turnpike projects.
The Turnpike is still moving forward with the Southern Beltway portion of the expressway, which is being built by the Turnpike from Pittsburgh International Airport to Southpointe.
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