$800M Southern Beltway to open for bikers, walkers in preview
South Fayette is becoming more connected.
The Southern Beltway is opening on Oct. 15, creating the second major interchange for the community of more than 16,000 residents.
The new section of the beltway starts at Interstate 79 near the Allegheny and Washington county line and goes to Route 22. It joins an older section already open to the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Drivers from the South Fayette exit will be able to make a trip to airport in around 15 minutes.
Before traffic takes to the roadway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission hosted a Southern Beltway Community Day Saturday. People were invited to take a walk or ride their bicycles.
“This roadway is definitely an asset to the community,” said South Fayette Township manager John Barrett. “Many of our residents work at or near the airport and will be traveling on that road.”
Barrett said that despite the challenges of a pandemic, the project — estimated at $800 million — finished on schedule.
He said having this access might attract more people to move to the area to take advantage of “not only the road but the strong school district.”
Barrett said there is enough available land that could be utilized for potential development, such as an office park.
He witnessed the project’s progress over three years.
“It is a huge operation,” Barrett said. “Sometimes when I would drive by and see the size of the equipment, it felt like a scene from ‘Jurassic Park.’ It takes hard work to build a major highway.”
He said people saw a glimpse of what the area has to offer when Amazon considered South Fayette before choosing Findlay for its warehouse. There are more than 100 new homes built each year in South Fayette.
A ribbon-cutting will be held Oct. 14 before the official opening to traffic.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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