PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved paying the West Mifflin Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses more than $500,000 for their property to make way for the Mon/Fayette Expressway.
According to the commission’s agenda from the most recent meeting, the congregation received $503,840 for the property along Camp Hollow Road in West Mifflin.
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PennDOT officials said construction is expected to start next year. The entire section of highway south of the Monongahela River is expected to cost around $900 million to build.
The land will be used as part of the new highway project that aims to connect I-68 near Morgantown, West Virginia and the Parkway East. The West Mifflin property will be used to construct a new portion of Rt. 43 from Rt. 51 in Jefferson Hills to Rt. 837 in Duquesne.
Officials said the highway will offer an alternative route that allows drivers to avoid the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and Fort Pitt Tunnel once completed.
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