Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing plans to partner with local artists to incorporate aesthetic elements into the I-376 (Parkway West) corridor in Allegheny County.
As the department prepares to design projects throughout the Parkway West corridor, local artists will be selected to contribute an aesthetic display to the work. The theme of the artwork shown throughout the corridor, Hidden Histories serves as a guiding narrative and invites artists to highlight often-overlooked layers of the region’s unique appeal.
As future projects may be considered for implementing an aesthetic component to the design process, District 11 is seeking public feedback regarding the idea of displaying local artists’ work within department construction projects. Those interested in sharing their feedback can do so by visiting the Route 22/I-376 Interchange project webpage.
The first project in this series will be the Route 22/I-376 Interchange, which will provide improvements to the I-376 ramp connections to Route 22/30/60. Work will improve operations and safety as part of the new Diverging Diamond Interchange.
As part of this project, District 11 worked with Shiftworks Community + Public Arts to facilitate the selection of an artist to contribute a surface design for the interchange infrastructure. This opportunity was issued through the Pittsburgh Creative Corps, and pre-qualified artists living in southwestern Pennsylvania were given the chance to apply.
The final panel, consisting of PennDOT staff, as well as art and design professionals selected Pittsburgh-based artist, Kim Beck. Her concept for the interchange is Appalachian Ecology: Nature’s Quilt. Beck’s design features simple shapes and silhouettes of local Appalachian plants and animal symbols like birds, deer, and native Pennsylvania trees. Renderings of her design can be viewed online.
The Route 22/I-376 DDI will remove the existing partial cloverleaf loop ramps and provide access to all points of interest including access to Route 60 southbound toward Crafton which is currently unavailable at the interchange. The project will also include the replacement of the Route 22/30 structure over I-376 with new dual structures, one located on each side of the existing structure. The proposed structures will be lengthened to accommodate possible future widening of I-376. The new structures will also increase the vertical clearance height to at least 16.5-feet over I-376.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
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Information about infrastructure in District 11, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D11Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
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