Gribblenation

On Christmas Eve, I took a small trip through Washington and western Allegheny Counties to enjoy some freetime. Route: PA 48, PA 51, Former PA 171, PA 201, I-70, PA 519, PA 980, US 22, PA TPK 576, US 22, PA 980, PA 50, PA 519, I-70, PA 201, Former PA 171, PA 51, PA 48. Notes: Traffic was pretty light on I-70, Next to no traffic on PA TPK 576. PA 980 has a series of turns in the towns of Canonsburg and McDonald. Accomplishments: PA 519, 980 and TPK 576 clinched. New Miles on PA 50. Photos: Just South ("East") of the US 30 (Exit 2) interchange. PA TPK 576 shields are green on white with White on Green directional banners. The current end of PA TPK 576 east is at US 22 near Bavington. I am standing inside what one day will be the lanes that will carry PA TPK 576 over US 22. Just a zoom image from the same spot above this time of the exit gore and the Exit 6 ramps. (I could have zoomed further here.) A Keystone Town Marker for Hickory. It's about time I start contr...

Well good news, the PTC annouced that they will have an open house for the soon to be opened PA TPK 576 on October 7th. It's your only legal chance to bike, hike, blade, picnic, etc. on the six mile toll road. Here's an article with a great photo in the Post-Gazette . Also, a note at the end of the story explains that Mashuda Corp., who was contracted to build the middle segment of the connector, picked up the work for the troubled Smith & Johnson, who defaulted in February. The delay in the southern portion was largely because of problems encountered by the original contractor, Smith & Johnson Construction, of Columbus, Ohio. It eventually was declared in default by the turnpike commission in February, and its bonding company hired Mashuda Corp., of Cranberry, the contractor for the middle portion of the job, to do the southern third as well.

In an online article published today in the Engineering News-Record , more details surfaced about Smith & Johnson, who earlier this month defaulted on their contract to build Section 54C of the Findlay Connector. S&J had won the contract with a bid of $45.7 million which was $6 million less than seven other bids. They had been on the job for 22 motnhs and nearly 2/3rds ($30.7 million) of the adjusted $47 million contract was paid by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. It does appear that Smith & Johnson is out of business. Near the end of the article, some new and interesting details are revealed: In 1997, the National Labor Relations Board described Smith & Johnson as a “disadvantaged minority business enterprise headquartered in Columbus, Ohio” and “primarily engaged in heavy highway (bridge, culvert, and roadway excavation as well as installation of guard rails) construction in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia.” The case involved a complaint against ...

Construction on the southern two and a half miles of the Findlay Connector, which will connect US 22 to PA 60 and the Pittsburgh Airport, has ground to a halt recently. The reason, the contractor, Smith and Johnson, was declared in default by the PA Turnpike commission as a result of Smith and Johnson's financial woes. See article in today's Post-Gazette . Smith and Johnson was awarded the contract to build Section 54C which runs from US 22 near Bavington to just north of Bald Knob Road. The contract included interchanges at US 22 and Bald Knob Road. According to the Post-Gazette article: Section 54C is 65 percent complete while Sections 54A and 54B are 77 and 76 percent complete, respectively. Most of the troubles began in the fall. And although a bridge carrying Candor Road over US 22 was demolished in late January , Smith and Johnson was pulling out from the construction site. On January 18, the Turnpike Commission offered the company a chance to right the ship, but those ef...

Construction on the southern two and a half miles of the Findlay Connector, which will connect US 22 to PA 60 and the Pittsburgh Airport, has ground to a halt recently. The reason, the contractor, Smith and Johnson, was declared in default by the PA Turnpike commission as a result of Smith and Johnson's financial woes. See article in today's Post-Gazette . Smith and Johnson was awarded the contract to build Section 54C which runs from US 22 near Bavington to just north of Bald Knob Road. The contract included interchanges at US 22 and Bald Knob Road. According to the Post-Gazette article: Section 54C is 65 percent complete while Sections 54A and 54B are 77 and 76 percent complete, respectively. Most of the troubles began in the fall. And although a bridge carrying Candor Road over US 22 was demolished in late January , Smith and Johnson was pulling out from the construction site. On January 18, the Turnpike Commission offered the company a chance to right the ship, but those ef...