Southern Beltway Construction Inspection

Larson Design Group (LDG) performed construction inspection services for highway sections 55C1-1, 55C1-2, 55C2-1, and 55C2-2 as well as sections 55M (a maintenance facility), and 55T (the cashless tolling) of the Southern Beltway for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC). LDG’s responsibilities included material sampling and testing; complete field office management; holding project control meetings; enforcing safety rules and regulations; preparing work authorizations and change orders; reviewing shop drawings and catalog cuts; and coordinating stakeholder and adjacent property owner responses.

The Southern Beltway project is a limited access, $800 million roadway connecting U.S. Route 22 to I-79. The roadway begins at the southern terminus of the Findlay Connector at the U.S. Route 22 interchange in Clinton, Pennsylvania. The 13-mile project ends at a new interchange with I-79 and a local connection at Morganza Road near the Allegheny/Washington County line. Given the complexity and scope of the project, it has been divided into nine construction sections. The PTC has completed two sections of the project, while construction is about to begin, or is ready to be awarded for the remaining seven sections.

Details about each of the highway sections are provided below:

Section 55C1-1
The two-mile Section 55C1-1 includes a new interchange located one mile west of SR 50, nearly four million cubic yards of excavation, 32,000 linear feet of various types and classes of pipe, 270 inlets, 105,000 square yards of Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement, and four bridges. Two of the mainline bridges, each 1,015-feet-long and 100-feet high, will carry the southern beltway over SR 50, the Wheeling and Lake Erie railroad and Millers Run Road. A third bridge will connect Cecil Reissing Road to SR 50 north of its current location. The fourth bridge will carry Cecil Sturgeon Road over State Route 576 as part of the interchange and will provide a new connection with Reissing Road.

Section 55C1-2
The two-mile Section 55C1-2 includes three million cubic yards of excavation, several culverts, 9,500 linear feet of various types and classes of pipe, and an overpass for Hickory Grade Road over SR 576.

Section 55C2-1
This section extends from approximately one mile west of I-79 in Allegheny County through an interchange connecting the PA Turnpike 576 with I-79 and ends at Morganza Road just north of Cecil-Henderson Road in Washington County. The construction of the interchange includes the partial reconstruction of I-79 from the Southpointe Road Interchange to Alpine Road. The project also includes two miles of PA Turnpike 576 mainline construction, three miles of I-79 reconstruction, seven interchange ramps, four bridges, two bridge widenings, 34,000 linear feet of various types and classes of pipe, 350,000 square yards of Portland cement concrete, and two new intersections with PA Turnpike 576 ramps and Morganza Road. Approximately six million cubic yards of earth will be moved for the construction. When complete, there will be three southbound I-79 lanes from Alpine Road to the Southpointe Interchange and a free-flow interchange between I-79 and PA Turnpike 576.

Section 55C2-2
Requiring over 750,000 cubic yards of excavation, this section is approximately one mile in length and includes a new alignment for Morgan Road, which includes two overpass bridges above I-79 and PA Turnpike 576 as well as a new roundabout at the intersection of Morgan, Morganza, and Baker Roads.

The Southern Beltway opened to traffic in the Fall of 2021 with restrictions at I-79. All connections to and from I-79 opened in 2022.