Uniontown, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 12 is announcing a traffic shift will occur on Route 51 in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County on Tuesday, July 15 weather permitting.
Beginning at approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday, traffic will be introduced to the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) configuration in a single-lane in each direction. Traffic on Route 51 will be placed onto the outside lanes and controlled by temporary traffic signals. Traffic on Route 51 will be placed in the following configuration:
- Traffic on Route 51 will cross over to the opposite or left side of the roadway within the interchange area to access I-70 on-ramps more directly.
- The left-turn movements from Route 51 to the I-70 on-ramps will occur from the left side of the roadway.
- The left turn movements from I-70 exit ramps to Route 51 do not need to cross opposing travel lanes to gain access to the desired lanes of Route 51.
Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone as the new traffic configuration is implemented. Motorists should allow extra time if traveling through the corridor. Please stay alert and drive cautiously – safety is everyone’s responsibility.
View the Route 51 DDI overview map here.
For more specific information regarding turning movements to and from the I-70/Route 51 interchange, please visit I-70 at Route 51 How to Drive the Diverging Diamond Interchange to read the project brochure detailing the DDI.
The DDI is a design innovation that improves safety and mobility by reducing the number of conflict points with oncoming traffic. DDIs provide a timely, cost-effective design solution, and can often be constructed at a much lower cost compared to conventional interchange designs. The design takes up less space, reducing the impact of surrounding property, and provides for improved capacity, now and in the future, by requiring fewer lanes to handle the same amount of traffic than a conventional design.
This work is part of the $120.6 million I-70 at Route 51 Interchange Project, which will reconstruct I-70 at Exit 46 to make the section similar to other reconstructed sections to the east and west.
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.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District12.
Information about infrastructure in District 12, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D12Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Haney, nhaney@pa.gov or 412-429-5011
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