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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County urging the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to act with all deliberate speed to authorize pursuit of the completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway project.
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WHEREAS, on Monday, March 20, 2017, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission voted to table pursuit of the final 14 miles of the Mon-Fayette Expressway from Route 51 to Interstate 376 by excluding this long-term project from the 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) in order to allow time to determine whether funding allocated to the project’s completion could be used instead for other transportation projects in the Mon Valley; and
WHEREAS, it is the judgment of Council that the extension of the Expressway would open the Mon Valley to businesses from West Elizabeth through West Homestead along the Monongahela River; and
WHEREAS, with over 1,000 acres of developable property for business and industry, the Expressway would also align itself with river and rail traffic, creating job opportunities and the potential to increase air traffic and cargo for the Allegheny County Airport, while the continuation of the Mon-Fayette Expressway from Jefferson Hills to the Parkway East would create a transportation link for businesses in the Mon Valley and Turtle Creek region, providing these companies with improved production capabilities, as well as national recognition; and
WHEREAS, a report on the Expressway project issued last August by the national transportation research group, TRIP, cited the creation of 20,780 permanent jobs, as well as more than 5,000 annual construction jobs.; and
WHEREAS, the value of the busway extension and the Expressway was cited not only in the TRIP report, but also in the Transportation Action Plan (TAP) published last fall by the Construction Legislative Council (CLC) of Western Pennsylvania; both reports noted how the Expressway combined with the East Busway would vastly improve regional transit access and reduced traffic congestion on the Parkway East by providing direct transit access into the City of Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has invested 120 million dollars in planning for the Mon Fayette Expressway project from Route 51 to Monroeville and, as a result of the passage if Act 89 of 2013, the PA Turnpike Commission has undertaken significant leadership in assembling financing to advance the Expressway; and
WHEREAS, it is the judgment of Council that the potential benefits of the project to the residents of and businesses located within the Mon Valley far outweigh the potential benefits of any other use of the funds earmarked for the project’s completion, even if those funds could be used for other projects;
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS MOVED THAT THE COUNCIL OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY,
Hereby urges the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to act with all deliberate speed to authorize pursuit of the completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway project.