Laurel Valley project triggers closures, detours on routes 981, 819 in Mt. Pleasant Township

Jeff Himler, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Oct. 29—Closures on routes 981 and 819 are slated to begin Monday as work continues on the first phase of the Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project in Mt. Pleasant Township.

The closures, which are expected to require detours through mid-November, will affect a section of Route 981 between Hecla and Boyer roads and a segment of Route 819 just south of the intersection with Route 981.

According to PennDOT, the Route 981 detour will allow crews to work on excavation, drainage and pavement tasks needed to realign a stretch of the road from Hecla Road to just north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike overpass.

The marked detour for most motorists will follow portions of routes 31 and 982 and Kecksburg Road.

Northbound trucks making local deliveries to locations between Route 31 and the closed work area on Route 981 will follow an alternate detour. Those trucks will be directed left onto Route 31 (Main Street) and then will use routes 119 and 819 to return to Route 981.

A detour also will be in place for traffic headed between Route 981 and Fiedors Grove Road. Those motorists will be diverted along State Street, Viking Drive and Slope Hill Road.

The closure on Route 819 will allow crews to continue work on a new roundabout at the Route 981 intersection and a box culvert that will carry a new section of road over Shupe Run.

Passenger cars on Route 819 will be detoured around the work area using State Street and Route 981.

A truck detour will use routes 31 and 119.

The first phase of the Laurel Valley project has an estimated cost of $55 million, with work expected to extend through 2024. That phase includes a second Route 981 realignment, between Carpentertown Road and Walton's Lane.

It also includes two additional roundabouts, one of them at the Hecla Road/State Street intersection with Route 981. The other roundabout, in the village of Norvelt, is meant to improve a complex intersection where Route 981 converges with Mt. Pleasant, Kecksburg and Hecla roads.

The Laurel Valley project includes two more proposed phases: a central section, between Norvelt and Route 130 in Unity, which includes a shift from Route 981 to follow a portion of Route 2023 — known in various segments as Holly Place Road, Hill Churches Road and Bell Memorial Church Road; a northern section extending from Route 130 to the area of the airport and the Westmoreland County Airpark.

Visit laurelvalleyproject.com for more details.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .