I-79 crossover express lane reopens with safety improvements

PennDOT has reopened the southbound I-79 crossover after closing down the left-hand express lane last Monday night and implementing a 45 mph speed limit in the work zone.

The crossover reopened at 4 p.m. Friday in Glenfield, Sewickley Hills, and Frankin Park and Ohio and Aleppo townships.

After several crashes at the crossover location, safety measures were put in place. They include the around-the-clock presence of state police for the next two weeks, restricting trucks to the right-hand side local lane through the work zone, raising pavement markers, removing barriers and installing guiderails.

“There were four crashes at the crossover last weekend,” PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said. “The department’s highest priority is safety. So we had an all-hands-on-deck meeting and decided to keep the crossed over express lane closed until we could identify and implement some safety enhancements.”

He added that the improvements will give drivers unfamiliar with the configuration time to make decisions on what lane they need to be in and help raise awareness of the work zone.

“We do need motorists to do their part by going the work zone speed limit and avoid distractions like using cellphones,” Cowan said.

The reconfigured traffic pattern and restrictions include the left (“express:) lane of southbound I-79 being crossed over into the northbound traffic lanes between the I-279 and the Red Mud Hollow Road overpass.

Traffic using this lane does not have access to the Mt. Nebo Road (Exit 68) or Emsworth/Sewickley Route 65 (Exit 66) interchanges.

The right lane of southbound I-79 remains in place. This is the local lane with access to the Mt. Nebo Road (Exit 68) and Emsworth/Sewickley Route 65 (Exit 66).

Two lanes of traffic still remain on northbound I-79. A barrier will separate the northbound lanes and the crossed over southbound lane.

The southbound crossover will stay in place continuously through late November.