There was a public celebration and party yesterday where the Pennsylvania Turnpike has finished its latest expansion project, but officials didn't publicize it very much. Liability issues and other excuses, I hear.

So most of you will have to wait a few days to see how the turnpike spent $225 million to build Route 576.

Route 576?

I knew you'd ask.

That's the route designated for the 32-mile Southern Beltway being developed along the Allegheny-Washington county line.

The first section, where Community Day was held yesterday and which will be opened to traffic at 3 p.m. Wednesday, has been known as the Findlay Connector since the highway idea was conceived about two decades ago.

Officially, it's now PA Turnpike 576.

It's about six miles of limited-access toll road, going from Route 22 in Robinson, Washington County, to Route 60 at the Pittsburgh International Airport entrance. Other interchanges have been built at Route 30, called Imperial-Clinton, and at Bald Knob Road, called Bavington-Santiago.

It's a great shortcut to and from the airport for people in the Weirton, W.Va., and Steubenville, Ohio, areas and holds great promise for economic development on thousands of acres of vacant land.

Route 576 is built to interstate standards, but it's not an interstate. Hardly a nickel has come from the federal government for a project that it, not Pennsylvania taxpayers, should be funding.

The toll to use the road will be 50 cents for cars, motorcycles and small trucks. E-ZPass will work, too.

Yesterday's party was free for the too few who knew about it. Not even the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's "Seen" columnists were invited.

The turnpike billed Community Day as a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to walk, bike, pedal or jog on the road before it opens to vehicles. It started with a 9 a.m. group bike ride by the Montour Trail Council. Don't fret. I wasn't invited either.

Other scheduled activities included a classic car show, West Allegheny and Moon Area high school bands, a West Hills Symphony Orchestra performance, guided bus tours and food booths.

Turnpike officials said the plan was to keep the party "local," so no general news release was issued. I mentioned the event in August, when the turnpike said more details would be forthcoming.

They never came.

On Route 576, west is east. Dave Hanczar, of McDonald, noticed a Route 576 sign near the airport with the tarpaulin cover partially blown off.

The new road heading away from the airport is labeled "east," he said, "But the connector heads southwest." He's right about that.

If and when the entire Southern Beltway is finished, possibly in this century, "There's much more of a north-south component, and it should definitely be a north-south route," Mr. Hanczar said. "I'll be putting my sun visor down at 7 a.m. as I head 'west' toward the airport."

Turnpike spokesman Joe Agnello said Mr. Hanczar has to look at the big picture. While Route 576 initially takes a "sort of 1 o'clock-to-7 o'clock route [west] as the crow flies, the remaining 26 miles yet to be built will be predominately east."

"Hence, that is why this new highway is being signed as an east-west system, the western end being Pittsburgh International Airport and the eastern end being Toll 43 [the Mon-Fayette Expressway] near Finleyville," Mr. Agnello said.

Well, if the Parkway West heading to Pittsburgh can be Interstate 279 north, then Route 576 east heading west away from the airport must be OK, too.

Only in Pittsburgh!

P.S.: While most of the Mon-Fayette Expressway is Toll 43, the arm to Monroeville on the yet- to-be-built northern section is to be designated PA Turnpike 876/576 and will connect to Interstate 376, the Parkway East.

The arm into Pittsburgh tentatively will be signed as PA Turnpike 876/43. Drivers using the two prongs of the Y-shaped configuration to bypass the Squirrel Hill Tunnel (from Monroeville) will follow 876/576 to 876/43 to 376.

Leaving Pittsburgh, follow 876/43 to 876/576 to 376.

Only in Pittsburgh!

Elsewhere. Seoul, Korea, will allow only compressed natural gas buses to operate on city streets by 2010. Currently, 2,800 of its nearly 8,000 buses use CNG to help reduce pollution.

Plate du jour. Jim Beer, of Moon, spotted the Pennsylvania personalized license plate 4EVR30 on a sporty convertible driven by a gray-haired man.