Route 22 construction in Monroeville, Murrysville delayed by pandemic

The construction project that started along Route 22 in Monroeville and Murrysville last year will be prolonged because of delays caused by the covid-19 pandemic, said a PennDOT spokesman.

The $11 million project from the I-76 interchange in Monroeville to the Westmoreland County border in Murrysville began May 10, 2019. When it started, officials said the project would be completed by June 25.

It includes replacing traffic lights, repaving, drainage improvements and structure work on the bridge connecting Route 22 to Route 286 — along with lane restrictions.

Currently, the single-lane restrictions happen between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., along with some long-term lane restrictions at the Route 286 overpass.

“The delay in the project completion date is due to the construction shutdown related to covid-19. This not only delayed construction for several weeks but resulted in delaying our suppliers fabricating time for materials needed on the project,” said Steve Cowan, a PennDOT spokesman.

But the lane restrictions will likely end in June because that’s when PennDOT expects all the project’s repaving to occur, Cowan said.

The delay is specifically tied to the delay in fabricating and shipping traffic signal poles. Once those are received, the poles will be installed at intersections along the project’s route. Cowan said that work will cause restrictions but only at one intersection at a time.

The work is part of a $265 million federal Department of Transportation allocation to PennDOT for projects within District 11 that cover 270 miles of state roadways, 48 bridges and 23 landslides.