McCORMICK TAYLOR STAFF ATTEND OHIOPYLE MULTIMODAL GATEWAY GROUNDBREAKING

On Wednesday, November 28, 2018, members of McCormick Taylor’s Pittsburgh office attended the construction groundbreaking ceremony for the Ohiopyle Multimodal Gateway (OMG) Project. The OMG Project is a pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle safety improvement project along Route 381 in Ohiopyle Borough and Ohiopyle State Park, Fayette County, PA.

Designs intended to improve multimodal operations within the project area include:

• Minor widening of Route 381 to construct sidewalks on both sides of Route 381
• Improved parking and pedestrian access on Route 381
• Removal of the bike lane from Route 381 and reconstruction of an off-road bike path
• Reconstruction of the existing parking area at the south end of the project
• Relocation of Sugarloaf Road slightly to the north to improve geometrics
• A new pedestrian underpass from the redesigned parking area under Route 381 to the park Visitor's Center area
• Replacement of the six-span superstructure on the Route 381 bridge over the Youghiogheny River to better accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists

Because the project is located within a state park, land use and project context were specific focuses. Dawn Schilling, PE, AICP, led the effort, assisted by Melissa Thomas, PE. Preliminary design was completed in August 2017 and through accelerated efforts, the project was advertised for construction in August 2018.

Funding for this project required that the project be let for construction by October 2018. Construction started in November 2018 and will occur over two seasons with a break during the summer months for a May 2020 completion. The summer shutdown is necessary due to the Ohiopyle State Park tourism season.

OMG is an effort of PennDOT District 12, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; McCormick Taylor was the prime consultant. McCormick Taylor’s team included AECOM, Navarro & Wright (former Raudenbush), Survey & Mapping (formerly So-Deep), and Arrow Land Solutions.

Click here to read PennDOT's press release.