The Wexford interchange has reached the halfway point of its reconstruction, and the biggest pieces of the new design are now visible above I-79. After weeks of overnight traffic restrictions to position the flyover beams, the project is moving into the phase that should finally reshape one of the region’s most frustrating freeway exits. Drivers may not get the finished product tomorrow, but the end of the beam work is a meaningful checkpoint.
PennDOT Senior Assistant Construction Engineer Steve Sneddon told CBS Pittsburgh that the project remains on schedule and that the beam-setting process is complete. He said PennDOT does not anticipate additional I-79 closures tied to that work, which should give commuters a break from the recent overnight detours and stoppages.
The $46.5 million project began in August 2025 in Franklin Park Borough and Marshall Township. It was included in Hoodline’s earlier roadwork report on a broader PennDOT construction program expected to affect major Pittsburgh-area corridors.
What The New Wexford Interchange Will Change
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the project is building a full offset single-point urban interchange with two new flyover structures over I-79. The work also includes traffic-signal improvements, lighting, drainage, signs, pavement markings, guide rails and preservation work on the existing Route 910 bridge. During construction, PennDOT expects to maintain three lanes in each direction during peak travel periods, along with temporary ramps and short-term lane or shoulder restrictions.
The finished layout is designed to send all I-79 entering and exiting traffic through a single intersection on the west side of the interstate, eliminating the existing east-side intersection. Sneddon told CBS Pittsburgh that the goal is less congestion, safer movement, shorter queues and more efficient traffic operations. The contract completion date is October 27, with traffic potentially moving through the new configuration in early November if weather and final construction cooperate.
PennDOT’s project page, updated July 29, lists a proposed construction end date of September 2027, while the October contract milestone refers to the current reconstruction schedule and the anticipated opening to traffic. That appears to leave room for additional finishing work after the new interchange begins carrying drivers, so the milestone is a major step forward rather than the final orange-barrel farewell.
