PennDOT District 11 is announcing traffic restrictions on southbound I-79 in Kennedy, Robinson, and Neville townships in Allegheny County will begin Friday, March 1 weather permitting.
Restrictions on southbound I-79 between the Neville Island Bridge and the Route 60 Crafton/Moon Run (Exit 60 A/B) interchange will occur according to the following schedule:
- A single-lane closure on southbound I-79 will occur as needed from 7 p.m. Friday, March 1 through 5 p.m. Saturday, March 2
- Southbound I-79 will be reduced to 11-foot widths and shifted onto the right shoulder from 7 p.m. Friday, March 1 continuously through mid-November 2024. Two southbound lanes will be maintained throughout the construction season unless otherwise noted.
Additionally, the ramp carrying traffic from Route 51 to southbound I-79 will close to traffic from 7 p.m. Friday, March 1 continuously through 11 a.m. Sunday morning, March 3. Ramp traffic will be detoured.
Posted Detour
Southbound Route 51 to Southbound I-79
- Head south past the closed ramp
- Take the ramp to northbound I-79
- Take the Neville Island (Exit 65) exit
- Turn left onto Grand Avenue
- Turn left onto the ramp to southbound I-79
- End Detour
Northbound Route 51 to Southbound I-79
- Take the ramp to northbound I-79
- Take the Neville Island (Exit 65) exit
- Turn left onto Grand Avenue
- Turn left onto the ramp to southbound I-79
- End Detour
These restrictions will be in place to allow crews to conduct eradication, line painting operations, and barrier installation work in preparation for a traffic crossover anticipated to begin mid-March. Oversized loads will not be permitted through the work zone.
This work is part of the $43.9 million I-79 “S-Bend” Project that includes full-depth pavement reconstruction, bridge preservation work on five mainline structures (I-79 northbound and southbound over Clever Road, I-79 northbound and southbound over Route 51, and the Neville Island Bridge). Additionally, there will be milling and paving of three ramps at the Route 51 (Coraopolis/McKees Rocks) interchange. The project also includes guiderail replacement, highway lighting and signing upgrades, new pavement markings and delineation, and other miscellaneous construction work.
To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for I-79 including traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – I-79” in the subject line.
Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts accessible on the 511PA website.