Pennsylvania Route 576
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Pennsylvania Route 576 (PA Turnpike 576), also known as the Southern Beltway, is a tolled
freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
in the southern and western suburbs of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. It is envisioned to serve as a southern
beltway A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
around the
Greater Pittsburgh Greater Pittsburgh is a populous region centered around its largest city and economic hub, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The region encompasses Pittsburgh's urban core county, Allegheny, and six adjacent Pennsylvania counties: Armstrong, Beaver, B ...
area between
Pittsburgh International Airport Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil–military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Located about 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pitts ...
and the historic Steel Valley of the
Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-c ...
. The first segment of the highway between PA 60 (now I-376) and Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township and US 22 in Robinson Township opened to traffic on October 11, 2006. The second segment of the highway between US 22 and I-79 in Cecil Township near the
National Cemetery of the Alleghenies The National Cemetery of the Alleghenies covers in Cecil Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania approximately southwest of Pittsburgh. The cemetery was dedicated on October 9, 2005 by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Nati ...
opened to traffic on October 15, 2021. The status of the final segment of the highway between I-79 and PA Turnpike 43 (the Mon–Fayette Expressway) is still pending,Construction on Southern Beltway set for spring
''
Beaver County Times ''The Beaver County Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States, and serving the north-western Pittsburgh suburbs. The ''Times'' is a direct descendant of many of Beaver County's newspapers, starting with the ' ...
'' (January 14, 2014)
Phase II Of Southern Beltway Underway
KDKA-TV KDKA-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division a ...
(January 14, 2014)
with federal approval already given. Like the Mon–Fayette Expressway, the Southern Beltway has no direct connection to the
Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...
mainline despite being built and maintained by the
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is an agency created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the Pennsylvania Turnpike (both the mainline and the Northeast Extension). The commission consists of five members. Four membe ...
(PTC). Both highways, however, will have indirect connections with the turnpike's mainline via I-376.


Route description

PA Turnpike 576 begins at an interchange with I-376 and the entrance to
Pittsburgh International Airport Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil–military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Located about 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pitts ...
in Findlay Township,
Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia C ...
. From here, the route heads southwest as a four-lane freeway. The road runs through wooded areas, where it curves south and has a
diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
with US 30. Past this interchange, PA Turnpike 576 continues southwest through more rural areas, coming to a mainline toll gantry before it reaches the Westport Road interchange. Following this, the freeway crosses into Robinson Township in Washington County and heads south to reach a
three-level diamond interchange A three-level diamond interchange is a type of highway interchange where through traffic on both main roads is grade-separated from intersections which handle transferring traffic. It is similar in design to a three-level stacked roundabout exc ...
with the US 22 freeway. Past the US 22 interchange, PA Turnpike 576 continues south through wooded areas with some fields and development, coming to a mainline toll gantry before curving to the southeast. The road reaches a diamond interchange with Beech Hollow Road that provides access to PA 980. The freeway continues southeast through fields and comes to a diamond interchange with Fort Cherry Road that connects to PA 980 between the borough of Midway to the west and the borough of McDonald to the east. Past this interchange, PA Turnpike 576 curves east as it passes over Robinson Run, the
Panhandle Trail The Panhandle Trail is a rail trail in southern Pennsylvania and the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. It occupies an abandoned railroad corridor that had been known as the Panhandle route which has been converted to a bicycle and walking trail ...
, and the Montour Trail on a high bridge into Mount Pleasant Township, soon crossing into Cecil Township. The road heads over PA 980 on a high bridge south of McDonald as it continues through rural areas. The freeway crosses into South Fayette Township in Allegheny County and immediately turns southeast, running immediately to the northeast of the border with Washington County and reaching a mainline toll gantry. PA Turnpike 576 crosses back into Cecil Township in Washington County as it continues near the county line. The freeway re-enters South Fayette Township in Allegheny County and heads further from the county line, coming to a diamond interchange with South Fayette Way that provides access to PA 50. Past this interchange, the road comes to a high bridge that crosses over a Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway line, Millers Run, and PA 50. PA Turnpike 576 continues southeast through a mix of fields and woodlands and heads across Coal Run before it crosses back into Cecil Township in Washington County and comes to its present eastern terminus at an interchange with I-79 and Morganza Road.


Tolls

PA Turnpike 576 uses
all-electronic tolling Open road tolling (ORT), also called all-electronic tolling, cashless tolling, or free-flow tolling, is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The ma ...
, with tolls payable by
toll-by-plate Video tolling (sometimes referred to as video billing, toll by plate, pay by mail, or pay by plate) is a form of electronic toll collection, which uses video or still images of a vehicle's license plate to identify a vehicle liable to pay a road ...
(which uses
automatic license plate recognition Automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR; see also other names below) is a technology that uses optical character recognition on images to read vehicle registration plates to create vehicle location data. It can use existing closed-circuit tel ...
to take a photo of the vehicle's license plate and mail a bill to the vehicle owner) or
E-ZPass E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, and Southern United States. The E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) consists of member agenci ...
. Mainline toll gantries are located between exits 2 and 4, exits 6 and 8, and exits 11 and 16. As of 2022, the toll to travel the entire length of PA Turnpike 576 costs $7.80 using toll-by-plate and $3.90 using E-ZPass, with each mainline toll gantry charging $2.60 using toll-by-plate and $1.30 using E-ZPass. The Findlay Connector section of PA Turnpike 576 originally had ramp toll plazas located at the eastbound exit and westbound entrances of its three interchanges (excluding the western terminus at I-376). All toll plazas were equipped with an electronic fare collection system (E-ZPass) and for cash customers, a dual-height, automated machine for toll collection. On June 3, 2018, the turnpike commission implemented all-electronic tolling along the Findlay Connector section of PA Turnpike 576. The ramp tolls were removed and all-electronic tolls were collected from a toll gantry along the mainline.


History


Early development

While many metropolitan areas in the U.S. comparable to the size of Pittsburgh such as
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
,
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
,
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...
,
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
,
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
, and
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
have an Interstate beltway that serve both locals and long-distance travelers as a way to ease traffic congestion, the
Pittsburgh metropolitan area Greater Pittsburgh is a populous region centered around its largest city and economic hub, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The region encompasses Pittsburgh's urban core county, Allegheny, and six adjacent Pennsylvania counties: Armstrong, Beaver, ...
does not have a true beltway. With the exception of the rainbow-colored Pittsburgh Belt System, most major traffic roadways either travel into the city (such as
I-279 Interstate 279 (I-279), locally referred to as Parkway North, is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway that lies entirely within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its southern end is at I-376 at the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh, and ...
and I-376) or bypass it just outside the city limits (moving north/south I-79 and the mainline
Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...
/
I-76 Interstate 76 may refer to: Interstate Highways in the United States * Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska) * Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey), running through Pennsylvania Video gaming * ''Interstate '76 ''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular c ...
), with
I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...
to the south and
I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
to the north being a somewhat greater distance from the city. While it could be argued that Pittsburgh does have somewhat of an existing beltway with I-79 from Cranberry Township to
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, I-70 from Washington to
New Stanton New Stanton is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,173 at the 2010 census. New Stanton is often used as a control city in western parts of Pennsylvania, as I-70 joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) ...
, and the Turnpike from New Stanton to Cranberry, the distance of I-70 from the city in comparison to the other two highways make it a little farther out from the typical beltway. Additionally, I-70 in between Washington and New Stanton, as well as the Turnpike, are not up to modern
Interstate Highway standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...
. Although Pittsburgh does have the pre-Interstate
Allegheny County belt system The Allegheny County Belt System color codes miscellaneous county roads to form a unique system of routes in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and around the city of Pittsburgh. Unlike many major American cities that utilize number-coded limited-a ...
, these are mostly on surface streets and are rarely promoted by the city and
Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia C ...
. The Southern Beltway, which would bring a southern road closer to the city core and serve as a partial beltway, was first conceived in the 1980s when the Mon–Fayette Expressway received new life with Act 61 legislation, which transferred control of that project from
PennDOT The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Yassmin Gramian. Presently, P ...
to the PTC. Additionally, the relocation and expansion of
Pittsburgh International Airport Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil–military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Located about 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pitts ...
helped spur the project. Less than a year before the airport relocated to its new site, the PTC decided to move forward with the Southern Beltway project in 1991.


PA 60 to US 22

Ground on the first leg of the Southern Beltway, also known as the Findlay Connector, was broken on November 12, 2003, connecting what was then PA 60 to US 22. The Connector was delayed by the discovery of state endangered short eared owls nesting at the Imperial Grasslands in the path of construction. The Findlay Connector received its name because it served as a connector from the
Weirton, West Virginia Weirton () is a city in Brooke and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located primarily in Hancock County, the city lies in the northern portions of the state's Northern Panhandle region. As of the 2020 census, the city's pop ...
/
Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a ...
area to the Pittsburgh International Airport through Findlay Township. The connector reduced the average commute time between these places by at least 15 minutes. The Findlay Connector opened on October 11, 2006. Before construction of the Findlay Connector, residents from the Weirton/Steubenville area had to travel down US 22 all the way down to PA 60 in heavily congested Robinson Township, then take then-PA 60 north to the Airport. In 2009, PA 60 north of the interchange was rebranded as an extension of I-376. Due to funding limitations, as well as emphasis on connecting the two fragmented sections of the Mon–Fayette Expressway between Uniontown and Brownsville, the Findlay Connector would be the only section of the Southern Beltway to be built for a decade.


US 22 to I-79

On December 21, 2012, the PTC announced that construction of a 13.2 mile section between US 22 and I-79 would proceed. The initially projected completion date was for some time in 2021. Weather conditions and other delays pushed the probable completion date closer to the summer of 2022. The toll route between US 22 and I-79 will feature all-electronic Cashless E-ZPass tolling as the Findlay Connector now does. On November 25, 2013, Pennsylvania Governor
Tom Corbett Thomas Wingett Corbett Jr. (born June 17, 1949) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 46th governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1995 t ...
signed a transportation bill into law, known as Act 89, that would raise vehicle registration fees and remove the oil tax cap in order to fund transportation projects in the state. Act 89 was expected to provide funding to complete the Southern Beltway all the way to the Mon–Fayette Expressway and to provide almost half of the $2.2 billion (as of December 2013) cost needed to complete the Mon–Fayette Expressway. The second leg of the Southern Beltway is the first project completed with the new funding available for both the Southern Beltway and the Mon–Fayette Expressway. On January 13, 2014, the PTC awarded two contracts for the project, anticipating completion in 2019, a year ahead of the original schedule. Increased activity in the
Marcellus Formation The Marcellus Formation or the Marcellus Shale is a Middle Devonian age unit of sedimentary rock found in eastern North America. Named for a distinctive outcrop near the village of Marcellus, New York, in the United States, it extends throughou ...
, which was just beginning when the Findlay Connector opened in 2006, helped expedite the earlier opening date for the second section of the Southern Beltway. Construction began on February 17, 2014, with
rock blasting Drilling and blasting is the controlled use of explosives and other methods, such as gas pressure blasting pyrotechnics, to break rock for excavation. It is practiced most often in mining, quarrying and civil engineering such as dam, tunnel o ...
on the unbuilt end of the US 22 interchange to begin building the bridge to carry the Southern Beltway over US 22, while a formal
groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...
with Governor Corbett and other state officials occurred on May 12, 2014. Construction beyond the interchange began in January 2017 and would involve excavating underneath I-79 to allow the Southern Beltway to pass underneath that highway. Work began on the 3.2-mile section of the highway between the Panhandle Trail and Cecil Reissing Road in Cecil in March 2017, a $90.6 million project. By April 2021, most of the mainline paving and bridge work was complete, with finishing touches like road sign and toll gantry installation as well as line striping to take place in mid-2021. Completion of ramps to connect eastbound PA Turnpike 576 to southbound I-79 and northbound I-79 to westbound PA Turnpike 576 was planned to take place in mid-October 2021, with the remaining movements at the I-79 interchange to be completed by early 2022. On October 9, 2021, a community day was held on a section of the roadway, with visitors allowed to walk or bicycle along the highway. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for this segment was held on October 14, 2021, with state and local officials in attendance, which opened to traffic the following day. Construction of the remaining movements at the I-79 interchange was completed and opened to traffic on June 24, 2022. The second leg of the Southern Beltway is expected to provide significant economic development to rural northwestern Washington County. As part of the road project, Robinson Township changed many of its
zoning laws Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...
to promote development along the Southern Beltway corridor, including allowing
hydraulic fracturing Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frack ...
in some zones. Additionally, since the project was announced,
Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...
has built a $6 billion cracker plant in nearby
Monaca Monaca ( ) is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States along the Ohio River, northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 5,615 as of the 2020 census. First incorporated as Phillipsburg as the home of the New Philadelphia Socie ...
in Beaver County. This itself has created a major economic boom in the area, with hotels and a mini-casino being built in the vicinity.


Future


I-79 to PA Turnpike 43

In December 2014, it was reported that the Mon–Fayette Expressway and the Southern Beltway might get additional funding through
foreign investors Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing is ...
who obtain an
EB-5 visa The United States EB-5 visa, ''employment-based fifth preference category'' or ''EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program'', created in 1990 by the Immigration Act of 1990, provides a method for eligible Immigrant investor programs, immigrant investo ...
in exchange for investing at least $500,000 for public projects. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will use EB-5 funding for the
Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project The Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project is an ongoing road construction project to build an interchange where Interstate 95 (I-95) crosses the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the Uni ...
first before determining if it will use such funding for other projects. The PTC was expected to make a decision on how to proceed on the Southern Beltway's final leg by mid-2015. On June 18, 2015, the PTC announced that the final leg of the Southern Beltway would be restarted and return to the design phase, though no timetable for its construction has been established.Pennsylvania Turnpike officials revive Mon-Fayette Expressway extension
''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
'' (June 18, 2015)
Due to ongoing financial issues with the PTC regarding Act 44, the future of the Mon–Fayette Expressway and the Southern Beltway was in doubt due to the PTC wanting to focus its capital expenses on its ongoing project of widening the mainline Pennsylvania Turnpike to six lanes except at its tunnels. On November 16, 2016, the PTC announced that they would not suspend any capital projects for the time being, but did place the Mon–Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway projects on a list to be suspended if “future financial or economic conditions dictate a construction spending reduction”. The Mon–Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway projects made the list despite the fact that the two projects are funded independently of toll revenue. The announcement is not expected to affect the 2nd leg of the Southern Beltway.


Exit list


See also

PA Turnpike - Southern Beltway Projects (Official Page)
* * *
Mon–Fayette Expressway The Mon–Fayette Expressway is a partially-completed tolled freeway that is planned to eventually link Interstate 68 near Morgantown, West Virginia with Interstate 376 near Monroeville, Pennsylvania. The ultimate goal of the highway is to pr ...


References



External links


PA Turnpike Construction - Mon/Fayette & Southern Beltway Projects
{{Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission 576 Limited-access roads in Pennsylvania Toll roads in Pennsylvania Transportation in Pittsburgh Transportation in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Washington County, Pennsylvania Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey) Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission 2006 establishments in Pennsylvania Beltways in the United States