Two interregional highway projects I'd like to see (Pittsburgh, Monroe: hotels, home)

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

A little fun with math:

5% of $632 million (a very low expected annual return on such an investment) would be $31.6 million.

Apparently the Turnpike expects an increase of about 3250 vehicle trips per day as a result of this project (a doubling of the current usage of the first stage of the Southern Beltway). Generously assuming that is for 365 days a year, and dividing into $31.6 million, you get about $26.64 per increased vehicle trip.

That's a pricey project.

While I agree, I also think they're right in that it'll take some of the heat off off the Parkway out by Robinson.

Is that worth it? Well . . .

[BrianTH]

More math:

For comparison, in 2003, it was estimated extending the East Busway to Monroeville would have non-vehicle capital costs of about $340 million, with an estimated system increase of 8400 daily passenger trips. $340 million in 2003 adjusted for inflation would be about $425 million today. Using the same methodology as in my prior post, you get about $6.93 per increased passenger trip.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by SammyKhalifa

While I agree, I also think they're right in that it'll take some of the heat off off the Parkway out by Robinson.

A little maybe, but the projected usage rates really are quite low, so the diversion can't be all that large.

And as my next post suggested, there may be other, much more efficient, ways to address congested highways in this region.

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

A little maybe, but the projected usage rates really are quite low, so the diversion can't be all that large.

And as my next post suggested, there may be other, much more efficient, ways to address congested highways in this region.

Oh yeah, I don't see why they couldn't have found better projects for the money.

A little selfishly, though, I remember growing up in Steubenville, OH with grandparents in Bethel Park. A road like this would've been nice.

[sparrowmint]

Had to go to Steubenville yesterday. Went there and back through rush hour both ways. It was a long day.

[airwave09]

Hahahaha! Gotta live the hypocrisy of Penndot and all of the fools that criticized the North Shore connector project. As useless as that project was in the grand scheme of things, this southern beltway crap is 100x more useless and practically the same price as the tunnel was. But this project will also serve to waste more resources and destroy more pristine nature than the tunnel could ever hope to.

The best part of it is we will probably see less than 5% of the criticism for this massive boondoggle. This project will hardly benefit anyone until they somehow actually manage to finish the entire project to Monroeville after many billions and a decade or so in the future, yet not a peep will be heard against it by a single politician or power player in the region. Our car-centric society disgusts me sometimes with it's massive hypocrisy.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by airwave09

This project will hardly benefit anyone until they somehow actually manage to finish the entire project to Monroeville after many billions and a decade or so in the future, yet not a peep will be heard against it by a single politician or power player in the region.

The Mon-Fayette Expressway is the Danube-Black Sea Canal of Southwestern PA. It will never be finished until we find somebody as dedicated as Nicolae Ceaușescu.

Danube

[pman]

Originally Posted by airwave09

Hahahaha! Gotta live the hypocrisy of Penndot and all of the fools that criticized the North Shore connector project. As useless as that project was in the grand scheme of things, this southern beltway crap is 100x more useless and practically the same price as the tunnel was. But this project will also serve to waste more resources and destroy more pristine nature than the tunnel could ever hope to.

The best part of it is we will probably see less than 5% of the criticism for this massive boondoggle. This project will hardly benefit anyone until they somehow actually manage to finish the entire project to Monroeville after many billions and a decade or so in the future, yet not a peep will be heard against it by a single politician or power player in the region. Our car-centric society disgusts me sometimes with it's massive hypocrisy.

Well said

[Craziaskowboi]

Except the Southern Beltway is not the domain of PennDOT, so it's ignorant to criticize them for it.

[SteelCityRising]

Turnpike to build $632 million Southern Beltway extension | TribLIVE

This article makes me sick. The article is written as if providing development access to pristine land to encourage more urban sprawl is a "good" thing for the region. We really need to take a page out of the book of Oregon and start enacting urban growth boundaries to redirect new development into EXISTING brownfield areas while greenfield areas should be preserved for future generations.

Also, isn't Rich Fitzgerald the ALLEGHENY COUNTY executive? From the proposed route it looks as if Cecil Township in WASHINGTON COUNTY would be poised to sustain the most growth. Why would he be cheering like this to encourage new greenfield development just over the county line, where any new commercial or residential growth would likely be siphoned from his own county?

Finally, correct me if I'm mistaken, but the rendering I see for the proposed route would have the new connector linking with I-79 right atop an existing rest stop just before the Washington County line. Where are they going to have enough room to replace that?