October 2021
Walsh Construction delivers new interchange connecting PA Turnpike’s Southern Beltway with I-79
Canonsburg, PA – The most challenging portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s Southern Beltway, the interchange at Interstate 79 (I-79) between Bridgeville and Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, is now accepting traffic and marking the final piece of the new 13-mile toll road.
The design of the interchange required the excavation for the new Route 576 under the existing I-79. Nearly seven million cubic yards of earth were excavated with CAT 777 haul trucks operating for over one year, hauling 100-ton loads of dirt and rock across the jobsite.
Crews performed 60 blast procedures to remove bedrock, an operation that was meticulously planned with nearby neighbors, transportation officials and emergency services.
The excavation efforts were one of the primary focal points for the project that delivers partial reconstruction and widening of I-79, twelve new ramps including 47,000 linear of new drainage, four new bridges containing 7,000,000 pounds of structural steel, two bridge widenings and 357,000 square yards of concrete paving. This major milestone provides a direct connection to and from I-79 and points south to the new toll road. Additional ramps to I-79 north are planned to be open before year end, with the remaining ramps to be opened to traffic in Spring 2022.
The $174 million interchange project feeds into the 13-mile Southern Beltway that connects Route 22 to Interstate 79 along the border of Allegheny and Washington counties. The Beltway offers a safer option for emergency vehicles and the traveling public instead of the rural, two-lane roads in the area. The roadway was also designed to provide an easier route to Pittsburgh International Airport.
Walsh Construction began work on the Southern Beltway /I-79 interchange in February 2019.