I-70 work triggers lane restriction in South Huntingdon, detours at Speers exit

PennDOT projects are scheduled to interrupt traffic Wednesday on Interstate 70 — at a work site near the Yukon exit in Westmoreland County and at a location farther west, in Washington County.

Eastbound traffic will be restricted to a single lane from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. between the exits for Route 31 and Yukon.

PennDOT officials said the restriction will be in place while traffic is shifted to newly completed lanes and the outer shoulder, allowing crews from Trumbull Corporation to complete work on the median and an inside shoulder.

The work in South Huntingdon, which is dependent on favorable weather conditions, is part of an estimated $92.8 million project to improve the Yukon and Madison interchanges and to reconstruct 3.7 miles of the interstate.

The work will widen the roadway to include a 10-foot-wide median and 12-foot-wide outside shoulders — along with an eastbound auxiliary lane between the two interchanges. PennDOT also is replacing four bridges on that section of the interstate.

A section of the interstate will be closed overnight twice in both directions, near the Speers exit in Washington County.

The closures, with related detours, were postponed until 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday. They originally were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

The closures are needed during demolition of a section of a bridge that carries Maple Drive over the interstate. PennDOT is working to replace the bridge with a new span that will have an increased clearance over the interstate.

According to PennDOT, the bridge’s bottom beams, with a clearance of 14.3 feet, have been struck periodically by tall vehicles on the interstate. The new bridge will have a clearance of 16.5 feet.

During the Speers closures, eastbound I-70 traffic will:

• Take the exit for Speers (Exit 39);

• Cross Maple Drive onto the I-70 eastbound entrance ramp.

Westbound traffic will:

• Take the exit for Charleroi/Allenport (Exit 40);

• Make left turns onto northbound Route 88 and then First Street and Twilight Hollow Road;

• Turn right onto the I-70 westbound entrance ramp.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .