Home >  Local News >  Transportation

Thursday, March 13, 2003

By Lori Shontz, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

People who arrived at West Mifflin High School last night to look at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's evaluation of an alternative plan for the northern end of the Mon-Fayette Expressway were greeted by what one official said was "almost a mile of paper."

Taped to walls and lockers in the high school's halls were details of the plan submitted by Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, better known as PennFuture, as interpreted by consultants hired by the turnpike commission.

Tom Fox, the public involvement manager for the project, said the turnpike commission had never hosted such an event before.

"There's no easy way to do it," he said.

The report, prepared by Macklin Associates, evaluated three proposals: the toll road extending to Pittsburgh via the North Shore, the plan submitted by PennFuture, which calls for urban boulevards, increased mass transit routes and bike trails, and a modified version of the PennFuture plan, which the turnpike commission said meets federal and state design requirements.

The analysis determined that the PennFuture plan would cost $3.6 billion, substantially more than the projected $1.9 billion for the turnpike commission's plan. The modified PennFuture plan would cost nearly $4.2 billion.

The consultants found that fewer residential and commercial buildings would need to be displaced under the turnpike commission's plan -- 537, as opposed to 1,735 under the original PennFuture plan and 1,791 under the modified plan -- and that travel times to Downtown and Oakland would decrease more under the turnpike commission's plan.

Traffic impacts in the highway corridors would remain about the same with all of the plans, but the turnpike commission's plan would significantly increase the amount of traffic flowing more freely, with less gridlock.

About 30 representatives from the turnpike commission and the consultants roamed the halls, answering questions. Also present were a handful of representatives from PennFuture, who had wanted the meeting to be canceled because they believe the turnpike commission is biased against their plan and therefore unable to evaluate it objectively.

They were not thrilled with the commission's take on their plan.

Joan Miles, outreach coordinator for PennFuture, was disturbed by the high number of displaced buildings. She said the turnpike's consultants, who never spoke with the people who designed PennFuture's plan, had assumed a wider width for the urban boulevards, thereby increasing the number of displaced buildings.

"That's not our intent," said Miles, who added that every attempt would be made to limit such displacements.

As for the cost, Miles said her group's plan is more cost-efficient in the long run because its financing is less dependent on bonds, with a wider variety of funding sources.

"I think the turnpike commission has tried to make this plan look as bad as possible," said John Krise of Dravosburg, who has been attending various public meetings for a decade. "But this plan also has a lot of flaws. They should both get together. The two of them should join together to make one concept fit for everybody."

That's not likely to happen.

Fox said the final report is 75 percent to 80 percent finished, awaiting only the public comment that was collected at last night's meeting.

He said the commission hopes to finish its final environmental impact study by this fall, and that it's possible that by early 2004, the Federal Highway Administration will make a decision on which plan will be implemented.

Lori Shontz can be reached at lshontz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1722.