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Construction Begins On Section Of The Southern Beltway

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Twin spans fly over Route 22, bridging a gap from dirt to dirt.

Independence Excavating is clearing and grooming the first portions of the 13-mile trek across northern Washington County to Interstate 79. Wednesday the work takes its first bite, with the closure of Quicksilver Road.

"We're replacing a water line and we're also doing some other utility work and changing the grade of the road itself, in preparation of a pair of mainline bridges that will be built overhead," Turnpike Engineering Manager Steven Hrovich said.

Detour signs will be marking the way around the construction of those overpasses for the new road over Quicksilver Road.

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This $90 million segment, or about four miles of the beltway, will end just beyond Quicksilver Road.

"It is currently not anticipated for that second to open until the entire southern beltway is opened," Hrovich said.

The construction of the 13-mile stretch of the southern beltway will come in sections, with several interchanges along the way. The connection to Interstate 79 coming between the Bridgeville rest area and the Cemetery of the Alleghenies is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2019.

Which will provide a critical link out of southern Allegheny County and Washington County.

"If you live south of Bridgeville this is the way for you to get to the airport," Hrovich said.

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