Local leaders hope the new interchange will invigorate economic development in the area by providing easier access to the turnpike.
In an article for the Pittburgh Post-Gazettte, Ed Blazina reports on a plan announced by Westmoreland County officials to begin work on a new interchange "where Route 130 and the turnpike meet near Pleasant Valley Road and an existing turnpike maintenance facility" near Penn Township, which currently lacks convenient access to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a crucial linkage between Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.
With residential developments proliferating in the formerly rural community, local leaders hope that commercial development could ease the burden on taxpayers and bring more economic development to the area. Blazina quotes state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward as saying that "the interchange should help to bring commercial and industrial development to the township, which has had substantial residential growth the last three decades."
While the agency hasn't settled on a final configuration, Turnpike Chief Engineer Brad Heigel told the Post-Gazette that they are evaluating several options. After languishing for years due to lack of funding, state lawmakers believe the project can finally move ahead, bringing improved mobility and new economic opportunities to the area.
FULL STORY: Turnpike to build new interchange in Westmoreland County
The Nation’s Most Wasteful Highway Projects
The 2023 Highway Boondoggles report is here.
Disconnecting Communities: Measuring the Social Impacts of Freeways
Research from 50 major U.S. cities shows social connections are weakest in neighborhoods where highways are present.
Highway Removal Slowed by Outdated Policy, Lack of Committed Funding
Resistance from state transportation departments and precarious funding sources mean highway removal projects are few and far between, despite their benefits.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust
A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.
Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues
We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.
DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process
The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service