Uniontown, PA—Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 12 is announcing our plans for Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., Tunnel Ridge, LLC’s scheduled mining activities in Washington County.
Tunnel Ridge, LLC will harvest coal using the longwall mining technique within its Tunnel Ridge Mine beneath a section of Interstate 70 for four to five days during the week of Monday, Feb. 10.
District 12 and the company have discussed the process and met numerous times over the past several months to review their progress in detail. The District is taking precautionary measures based on its former experience with previous operations beneath Interstates 70 and 79 and through the review of Tunnel Ridge, LLC’s current plans.
Monitors have been installed along the roadway to record the smallest movement in any direction. These remote data acquisition systems will notify PennDOT’s Washington County Maintenance Office and the project engineers when movement occurs.
Message boards will be stationed in the mining areas to remind motorists to observe the posted speed limits and to use the zipper merge technique for enhanced safety and efficiency. Learn about the zipper merge by reading “The Zipper Merge: The Best Way to Merge in Traffic” from the American Automobile Association (AAA) and by viewing tutorials on YouTube.
The Department will communicate daily with the mining company during its activities and, with the help of the Pennsylvania State Police, will closely monitor the highway to observe any unusual conditions.
PennDOT may utilize its contingency detour routes if temporary roadway repairs are needed. All associated signs and traffic signals are in place. If necessary, the posted speed limit in the area will be reduced to 45 mph.
“The safety of our customers is always PennDOT’s number one concern,” said District Executive Rachel Duda. “We are doing everything possible to ensure it. Please stay alert, adhere to the posted speed limit, and follow directions. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices by calling 5-1-1 or following regional X alerts.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District12.
Information about infrastructure in District 12, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D12Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Laina Aquiline, laquiline@pa.gov or 724-415-3748
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