Interstate 70 Fiber Optics Installation Begins Today in Westmoreland County

Uniontown, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 12 is announcing that daytime shoulder, and potential overnight single-lane, restrictions on Interstate 70 begin today, Tuesday, September 3, in South Huntingdon and Hempfield townships and New Stanton Borough, Westmoreland County.

Crews from Penn Line Services, Inc. are installing fiber optic lines, conduit, and junction boxes – an infrastructure investment of $765K.

Work zones occur in two locations:

  • Eastbound: from approximately one mile east of the Route 51 interchange (exit 46) to approximately one mile west of the Route 31 interchange (exit 51).
  • Eastbound and westbound: from approximately one mile west of the New Stanton interchange (exit 57) to the I-76 PA Turnpike interchange (exit 75).

All work depends on weather and operations and is anticipated until July 2025.

This is part of the $120.6 million Interstate 70 Project involving the widening and reconstruction of Interstate 70 along with the reconstruction of the Route 51 Interchange (Exit 46) to replace it with a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI). To accommodate the new interchange, the plans include one mile of reconstruction and widening on Route 51, and several intersecting roadways, including the relocation of Finley Road and Route 981. The project is anticipated to be complete in October 2027.

Remain alert and follow the posted signs and speed limits. Safety is everyone's responsibility.

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.

Follow PennDOT on X and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Laina Aquiline, laquiline@pa.gov or 724-415-3748

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