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Murphy changes mind on route for highway
Friday, October 23, 1998 By Jim Hosek, Tri-State Sports & News Service
Mayor Murphy has pledged to support construction of the Mon-Fayette Expressway on the northern side of the Monongahela River, breaking a long-standing impasse over the highway's planned route.
Officials from the Mon Valley were ecstatic yesterday morning when Allegheny County Commissioners Mike Dawida and Bob Cranmer announced that Murphy had agreed to the northern route.
The officials were gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of The Waterfront, a $300-million recreational, retail and residential complex that's being developed on 270 acres of land in West Homestead, Homestead and Munhall.
Two months ago, many of those same officials were outraged -- fearing that The Waterfront might be in jeopardy -- when the Turnpike Commission said it would give strong consideration to building the Jefferson-to-Pittsburgh segment of the expressway on the southern side of the river. Many of them believed that Murphy was the main person behind the push for considering the southern route.
Murphy had opposed a north shore route because he feared it would adversely affect multimillion-dollar housing and other developments in the city.
But Dawida announced yesterday that Murphy no longer wanted to see the Expressway follow the south shore of the Mon. "The Mon-Fayette Expressway will be built, and it will be built where it belongs -- across the river, not here," Dawida said to a round of applause.
"I badgered (Murphy) to the point (on Wednesday) that he signed a pledge with me and Mike," said Cranmer.
What Murphy, Dawida and Cranmer signed was a letter to Turnpike Commission Chairman James Malone saying that the city and county "are united in their support of the northern alignment."
The letter said, however, that their support is contingent on how the north shore alignment affects a number of projects and communities, among them:
Murphy could not be reached for comment yesterday. Calls to his office were directed to Eloise Hirsh, director of city planning.
Acknowledging that others might see it differently, Hirsh said, "It's important to note that this does not represent a change in position by the mayor. He only asked (the Turnpike Commission) to look at the southern side. The mayor has always been supportive of the highway project. He just had a lot of concerns."
"What's terrific," she added, "is that (Murphy's) support is now clear, and, now, everyone can see we're united (with the county commissioners) in our support and united in our concerns."
The commissioners and the mayor agreed to form a Mon-Fayette Task Force to address those issues, coordinated by Hirsh and Mulugetta Birru, county economic development director.
Tom Fox, a Turnpike Commission spokesman, said that since Malone had not yet received the letter, he couldn't officially comment on that.
"But generally," he said, "it's always beneficial when officials can unite behind an alternative (route)."
Fox, however, added that all the support for one particular route won't preclude the Turnpike Commission from continuing to study the southern route.
"No decision has been made," he said, adding that the draft environmental impact statement, which will recommend a preferred alternative route, probably won't be released until next summer.
He said if the northern route is favored, and it has united support, including public response in a series of hearings, that would weigh heavily on the federal government, which will make a decision on the project in 2000.
Following that, Fox said there would probably be two years of final design, two years of property acquisition, followed by four to five years of construction. That means that whatever route is selected it wouldn't be completed until 2009 or 2010.
Regardless of the lengthy process, the announcement of Murphy's support for the northern route was considered a victory for that route by John Dindak, Betty Esper and Ray Bodnar, mayors of West Homestead, Homestead and Munhall.
All said The Waterfront development is a must for the future economic vitality of their communities, and, now, without the possible opposition of Murphy to the northern expressway route, The Waterfront appears to be safe.
Regarding the groundbreaking of The Waterfront, "This is not just ceremonial. We're starting construction today," said Frank Kass, chairman of Continental Real Estate Companies. His company and Nationwide Realty Investors are partners in the development.
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The Hazelwood business district.