One year later: The Southern Beltway and the economic impact
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - We're approaching the one-year anniversary of the full opening of the Southern Beltway.
That's the interstate that connects I-79 on the Washington-Allegheny county line to Pittsburgh International Airport.
It's a Turnpike-operated toll road that cost more than $1 billion to build.
So, is it living up to that price tag and the expectations that come with it?
In short, yes it is, but off the top, you probably won't be impressed by the numbers.
The Southern Beltway rolls through the gentle hills of northern Washington County, the last 13-mile segment connecting Route 22 near Star Lake to I-79, which opened one year ago.
That's 13 miles and it cost about $800 million.
Drive it, and depending on the time of day, it can be a bit lonely.
"We're seeing approximately 8,000-10,000 vehicles using the Southern Beltway on a weekly basis," said Pennsylvania Turnpike Director of Marketing and Media Relations Carl DeFebo.
For a bit of perspective, 100,000 drivers hit the Fort Pitt Bridge daily but the counts on the beltway are climbing.
"Right now, the Southern Beltway is outperforming, by a smidge, our expectations," DeFebo added.
In other areas, it's meeting expectations.
"That means there are 10,000 fewer cars each week on adjoining roadways," he said.
That includes the Parkway West and the Southern Beltway is intended by the legislature to be an economic engine.
"We've seen a lot of interest expressed in the two new interchanges, as well," DeFebo said.
So, DeFebo continued, the billion-dollar investment for the Findlay connector and Southern Beltway is worth it.
"We're seeing some immediate paybacks," he explained. "As far as the larger payback, you know, sometimes that will take a decade or more to realize."
He said the Turnpike's vision is 20-25 years down the road and only time will tell if it delivers on the economic development potential.
However, as a toll road, it will need a lot more traffic to become self-sustaining, and that might happen years from now.
Right now, though, the $4.20 you pay to drive its entire length at 10,000 vehicles per week won't sustain it. Although about 20-percent of that traffic is trucks that do pay a bit more and those numbers are climbing.
