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Tuesday, September 17, 2002

By Jan Ackerman, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The Mon-Fayette Expressway is "a decades-old plan that has not kept pace with the region's changing character and quality of life goals," the Riverlife Task Force said in its first complete assessment of the proposed highway.

While acknowledging that transportation in the Mon Valley is inadequate, the task force said the proposed toll road through the center of river towns "would not realize the genuine assets of the valley."

"To the contrary, it would hinder the ability to develop and capitalize on these riverfront assets and to bring about fundamental change," said the report, the product of more than a year's discussion and investigation by the nonprofit task force, which seeks ways to renew the city's three rivers.

The task force's comments were in a 14-page document filed earlier this month with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's Mon-Fayette Expressway Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The draft statement is a requirement in the long process of deciding whether to build a proposed 24-mile section of the toll road from Route 51 in Jefferson Hills to Parkway East interchanges in Monroeville and Pittsburgh.

Lisa Schroeder, executive director of the task force, said it evaluated the road project on the basis of its nine guiding principles. These include enhancing the shoreline experience and improving the continuity of public green space along the rivers.

The report said the highway would cut through hillsides, create barriers and threaten or eliminate diverse wildlife, endangered plants and fish in the Duck Hollow, Frick Park and Nine Mile Run areas. It said the road would jeopardize development plans for Hazelwood and fail to provide adequate road connections to the site of a proposed national historic site in Rankin.

"Each of the neighborhoods impacted by the proposed Mon-Fayette Expressway has unique problems and impacts associated with the toll road," the report said.

The report said the proposed highway would demolish 73 buildings in Braddock and would "severely and negatively impact" plans to redevelop historically significant parts of the community.

Robert Messner, historical committee chairman for Braddock's Field Historical Society, which wants to restore significant historic sites from the French and Indian War, disagreed with that conclusion. Messner said the road would not destroy historic sites but would improve access and "open the site to more tourism and visitors."

Tom Fox, spokesman for the turnpike commission, disputed the task force's contention that the proposed highway would limit access to the rivers.

He said most of the communities directly affected by the highway have sent the turnpike commission resolutions supporting the new highway.

Andy Quinn, director of community relations for Kennywood Park, said he gets "irritated" with groups that oppose the highway but don't have a stake in the Mon Valley.

"We are definitely in favor of the highway, without question," said Quinn, adding that traffic coming into the park dumps 3,000 to 4,000 cars a day in local communities like Swissvale. Quinn said he doesn't even bother trying to advertise Kennywood in Cleveland because there's no direct access to the park.

"I could get people within six miles of the park, but then they would have to follow those little yellow arrows that direct you to Kennywood," he said.