Hart gets $1.5 million for I-376

The U.S. Senate will now consider the funding.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart secured $1.5 million for planned improvements to the new I-376 Corridor, which includes state Route 60 in western Pennsylvania.
Specifically, $1 million of the funding will be targeted towards safety upgrades in Lawrence, Beaver, Allegheny and Mercer counties so those portions of the road meet Federal Highway Administration safety standards.
Purpose
The funding is included in the FY '07 Treasury, Transportation and HUD Appropriations bill, which passed the House Thursday and will now be considered in the Senate.
In addition, Hart of Bradford Woods, R-4th, secured $500,000 in funding for Lawrence County that will be directed towards widening the on and off ramps at the U.S. Route 422 and Pa. Route 60 interchanges to change them from single lane access to double lane access.
"The new I-376 Corridor designation will expand economic opportunity throughout our whole region. In addition to spurring job creation and opportunity, the new designation will also result in safety improvements and less congestion along the new corridor," said Hart.
Commenting on the funding measure, Linda Nitch, executive director of the Lawrence County Economic Development Corp., said "Anything to help us with economic development activity in Lawrence County is a good thing. This is definitely something that puts us on the radar screen with site selectors. We need to be proactive with that. We certainly appreciate all that has been done to designate the highway I-376," said.