Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Officials say federal highway status would not affect toll booths in the Lawrence County section of Route 60.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
BEAVER, Pa. -- Future economic development in Lawrence, Beaver and possibly Mercer counties could be as simple as changing a highway designation.
U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart of Bradford Woods, R-4th, hopes passage of a House resolution will result in more development and jobs for those communities by designating Pa. Route 60 as part of the federal highway system and renaming it Interstate 376.
Hart expects the proposal to be considered this legislative session before the House Transportation Committee.
The difference: "Route 60 looks the same as the Pennsylvania Turnpike and [U.S.] Route 79, but the big difference is when you look at a map you see a state highway," Hart said at a news conference Monday to announce the legislation. "One of the top things developers look at are connections of interstate highways."
The initiative has long been supported by political and business leaders in Lawrence and Beaver counties since it was first proposed years ago by a former state official.
Interstate 376 begins at the Pennsylvania Turnpike exit in Monroeville, continues through Pittsburgh, and ends at Interstate 79.
Proponents of designating Pa. Route 60 an interstate highway say I-376 should continue on to Route 60 through Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence and Mercer counties to Interstate 80.
Support for change: County commissioners from Lawrence and Beaver say they support the name change.
"It gives the entire Route 60 corridor a significance we don't have at this moment," said Roger DeCarbo, Lawrence commissioner. "All other major airports in this country are part of the federal highway system, but not Pittsburgh. Regionally, this is badly needed. Regionally, this would be a true plus for the community and economic growth availability."
DeCarbo said commissioners in both counties have been meeting for about a year and discussing the corridor's future development.
"None of the counties have really worked to put infrastructure around those interchanges in the past. We are looking at passing a 20- or 30-year bond issue to speed up the process of getting infrastructure to those areas to get them shovel-ready for developers," he said.
Officials say the mix of infrastructure and the interstate designation could mean more jobs.
Hart did not know how long it could take for the legislation to make it through Congress. She noted some legislation has taken years to pass.
She added that the legislation will not affect the toll booths on the stretch of Route 60 that passes through Lawrence County because there is still significant debt that needs to be paid off.
Motorists must pay $1.50 to travel the 17-mile span that runs from Chippewa Township, Beaver County, to Union Township, Lawrence County.
That stretch went unfinished for years until the state Legislature provided money in 1985 to finish it and gave control to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The rest of Route 60 is controlled by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and is free to motorists.
Turnpike officials have said the tolls are necessary to pay off the bond issue that paid for the $259 million road.
Hart noted that the tolls aren't a deterrent for developers.
cioffi@vindy.com