Construction Equipment Guide
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Tue November 07, 2000 - Northeast Edition
More than $60 million of public money was spent during the 2000 construction season to widen and resurface streets, rehabilitate bridges and add turning lanes across southwestern Pennsylvania.
The state Department of Transportation spent about $46 million on six main projects, including replacements to the Fort Pitt tunnel in downtown Pittsburgh, according to PennDOT spokesman Dick Skrinjar. The work affected 1.2 million motorists, he said.
Allegheny County budgeted about $18 million for 2000, spokeswoman Margaret Philbin said.
The most money spent on one item was $12 million to replace the Glenwood Bridge, which spans the Monongahela River and connects Hazelwood to Hays via Route 885.
Work included a concrete deck replacement, median barriers and sidewalks. The lighting system was replaced with a new conduit, wiring and 250-watt luminaries mounted on poles.
PennDOT also spent $27 million to repave 246 miles of roads in Allegheny County.
More money was not spent due to a case that can be interpreted as roadside rage. A billboard dispute that put more than $4 million worth of Allegheny County road repair projects on hold may soon be resolved.
The projects, scheduled to start last spring, were delayed when PennDOT and Lamar Outdoor Advertising could not agree on compensation for billboards that would need to be removed.
Last year, a court ruled in favor of Lamar and the two parties spent the past several months hammering out a settlement.
Jack Bellicini, real estate manager for Lamar, said the parties have reached an agreement and are now each reviewing the document. He said the settlement will be complete in a couple of weeks.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The billboards must be removed so PennDOT can install piping to stabilize the eroding hillside above a creek. The creek will be rerouted, a bridge replaced, and a road widened.
After that project is complete, a reconfiguration of the intersection of Routes 51 and 88 will begin.