Welcome to the Roadscapes Wednesday segment! Each week here on Geek Alabama, Roadscapes Wednesday will feature roads and infrastructure related topics. Geek Alabama Editor / Publisher Nathan Young is often called the “road geek” for a good reason, Nathan loves roads and loves talking about roads!
The Mon–Fayette Expressway has spent decades working its way toward Pittsburgh. Originally envisioned to connect the industrial communities of the Monongahela Valley, the highway opened in separate sections before finally forming a continuous route from West Virginia to Jefferson Hills in 2012. Now, construction is pushing it farther north through some difficult terrain.
This video follows the active work, including major bridges, enormous excavations, embankments, and the engineering required to build across hills and former mining areas. It also explains how the road developed, why the original plan included a branch into Pittsburgh, and how that vision changed. But construction brings a larger question: what happens if the expressway never reaches its most important connection? With substantial costs, tolls, and an unfunded extension to Interstate 376, the project’s ultimate value depends partly on what Pennsylvania builds next—and whether the region can justify spending more to finish this long-promised highway connection.
Categories: Roadscapes Stuff
