Wrote an article about blight in the Mon Valley. Learned a lot while writing it.Submitted by Omgitsjustdae t3_zx18wk in pittsburgh
sebileis t1_j1z8ilp wrote
Reply to comment by JAK3CAL in Wrote an article about blight in the Mon Valley. Learned a lot while writing it. by Omgitsjustdae
Yes. There is no critical need for an express highway from Brownsville to Monroeville, especially when it is going to tear through so many communities. In a time where we are trying to be more environmentally conscious, building a new highway to nowhere that exclusively caters to automobiles is a huge waste of resources and taxpayer money, and is the absolute last thing we should be doing. Just for some context: nearly all of Port Authority’s long term expansion plans could be paid for with the money that is being used on the Mon-Fayette and Southern Beltway highways. I’d much rather see our money going to infrastructure that benefits the entire region and impacts millions of current and potential riders than unsustainable pet projects that will benefit a few thousand drivers on a good day.
JAK3CAL t1_j1zalq2 wrote
There is no highway from the south hills to the city. Brownsville to Monroeville would be pointless sure
sebileis t1_j1zavij wrote
The leg of the highway that would go to the city has been canceled for good. That is probably for the better. We do not need to tear out and destroy city neighborhoods so that suburbanites from the South Hills can have a faster drive into the city. I say that as a South Hills resident. Ride the T or some other form of public transportation instead if you don’t want to deal with the traffic. We don’t need to be building highways everywhere especially in this day and age. Unfortunately the Turnpike Commission is pushing full speed ahead with extending the Mon-Fayette to Monroeville despite there being few people who will utilize it and the Turnpike Commission themselves admitting the highway will never make enough in tolls to pay for itself.
meresithea t1_j1zhi3d wrote
The first leg of the extension will be built less than a block away from my neighborhood. I’m so angry about it. I don’t want to abandon my neighborhood, and I can’t afford to live in the city, but I can’t see that this will do anything bus destroy my home’s value.
sebileis t1_j1zhs6d wrote
Fight tooth and nail against it for as long as you can. I hope you and some others in your neighborhood can join forces to at least try to put a stop to this project. If we can’t outright cancel it, maybe we can at least delay it a few more years by tying things up in litigation.
meresithea t1_j1zhxjw wrote
We’ve been told it’s a done deal and there’s absolutely nothing we can do. Covid delayed it a bit, but the wheels have already started turning.
sebileis t1_j1zi0nn wrote
Nothing is a done deal if you can get a good enough lawyer!
meresithea t1_j1zi5hs wrote
This is true, but I also live paycheck to paycheck with the new inflation. I used to live under our means and save for emergency,but that’s not possible any more.
sebileis t1_j1zic59 wrote
That’s why you should try to get others in your community involved. By joining together, you have a better chance of fighting. A whole group or organization of people is stronger than one individual alone trying to make a difference.
sebileis t1_j1zihm2 wrote
Or at the very least contact your local state representative. I don’t know if it will make enough of a difference or if you have tried, but at the very least you can make it clear that this project is not wanted.
JAK3CAL t1_j1zcfol wrote
Lol you know the T doesn’t go anywhere useful
sebileis t1_j1zcrs4 wrote
Says the guy who wants half of the South Hills ripped up for a highway. The T does serve a purpose for people living in those communities and the fact that it doesn’t run to more places is further justification to invest in expanding it. I’m sure most of us would agree that a rail extension to Oakland/the East End or up the Ohio Valley would be far more useful than a toll highway to nowhere.
JAK3CAL t1_j1zdlfd wrote
Lol did I say I want half the south hills ripped up? Btw over 40k cars traverse 51 daily; the south hills pseudo “highway”. Seems to be a few more than you are indicating
sebileis t1_j1ze04l wrote
Without the leg of the highway into the city, most of the potential traffic for the Mon-Fayette will not materialize, so your numbers are incredibly skewed. We are not talking about that cancelled leg, we never have been other than you repeatedly bringing it up for no reason. Find me a statistic that shows 40,000 cars will take a highway from Brownsville to Monroeville, which is slated to be built.
JAK3CAL t1_j1zf3l9 wrote
Brownsville to Monroeville sucks ya, we agree
sebileis t1_j1zg2pn wrote
Good that we are in agreement there, that is why I am very critical of the project and made my sarcastic remark on this post. A lot of people’s lives are going to be disrupted and entire neighborhoods/towns will be destroyed if this highway is extended to Monroeville, and without the leg into Pittsburgh it will never be utilized enough to justify its existence. Thousands of people’s lives should not be disrupted so that a very small handful of suburbanites and exurbanites can have a shortcut to Monroeville.
ImplementBrief3802 t1_j213dgp wrote
I think you're really underselling the uselessness of this highway tbh. There's basically nothing in Monroeville that anyone is going to travel long distances to get there, and for most of Allegheny county that is going to end up near a 43 interchange going the ways everyone goes now will probably take the same amount of time without the $5+ toll
sebileis t1_j213o1o wrote
There are an endless number of reasons why the Mon-Fayette is a useless highway, but if we listed all of them we would be here until the T gets extended to the airport.
Jcs290 t1_j2062j5 wrote
It's not so much the people from Brownsville or Uniontown needing to get to I-376, since they have 43/I-70 and 119 to get on the Turnpike, respectively. It's southern areas of Allegheny County that need access to/from these businesses and communities. West Mifflin, Duquesne, Whitehall, Jeff. Hills, etc. Century III Mall could've benefitted from the Mon-Fayette, but it couldn't hang on long enough. Kennywood has came out in public support of the highway and has admitted it's held back major expansion plans, like an indoor waterpark and hotel by the old Kmart property, until it's complete.
sebileis t1_j215lkx wrote
Kennywood management has the wrong idea if they think a new highway is going to attract more visitors to the park. I know a lot more people who would like to have better bus service or some form of rapid transit serving Kennywood than for a new highway exit to be placed by the park.
JAK3CAL t1_j20ng8s wrote
This is my perspective, as a resident of finleyville / frequenter of west mifflin and aforementioned areas.
The infrastructure and road networks down here are abysmal.
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