Pennsylvania Route 981

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Pennsylvania Route 981

Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length50.483 mi[1] (81.245 km)
Major junctions
South end PA 51 at Rostraver Township
Major intersections US 30 near Lawson Heights
US 22 / US 119 near New Alexandria
North end PA 819 near Salina
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountiesWestmoreland
Highway system
PA 980 PA 982

Pennsylvania Route 981 (PA 981) is a state highway which runs 50.4 miles (81.1 km) across Westmoreland County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, United States. The highway begins at PA 51 in Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania, and runs northward across Westmoreland County, passing through the towns of Mount Pleasant, Latrobe, and New Alexandria before ending at PA 819 in Salina.[2]

Route description

PA 981 southbound in Bell Township

PA 981 begins at PA 51 in Rostraver Township. From Rostraver, the route runs eastward to the borough of Mount Pleasant, where it meets PA 31. PA 981 then turns northward, meeting US 30 outside the city of Latrobe, near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. The route then continues northward through Latrobe, passing by Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Continuing northward, PA 981 meets US 119 and US 22 at the borough of New Alexandria. The route then ends at PA 819 near Salina.

History

PA 981 previously ended at PA 156, but was extended in 1998 to its current terminus at PA 819.[3]

PennDOT began construction in 2006 to improve the intersection between PA 981 and US 30 near Latrobe.[4]

In 2021, A petition to rename a section of PA 981 as Honorable Mike Reese Memorial Highway from Kecksburg Road in Mount Pleasant Township Pennsylvania, to PA 819 in Mount Pleasant Township was approved by the state legislature and became official on August 11, 2021, in a special ceremony dedicated to honor the late Pennsylvania State Representative Mike Reese.[5]

PA 981 northbound along new alignment south of Norvelt at its intersection with Boyer Road

Construction began on December 6, 2021, on the PA 981 improvements between PA 819 north of Mount Pleasant and the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport south of US 30 near Latrobe. The southernmost section, Q20, from PA 819 to Norvelt, included a new roundabout at PA 819 and mostly followed the existing alignment with the exception of some improved curves and a new roundabout at the Hecla Road/State Street intersection south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-70/I-76) underpass. North of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the route was realigned onto a new alignment from south of Carpentertown Road to south of Waltons Lane and then in the Norvelt area where a new roundabout was built at the now-combined intersection of Hecla Road, Mount Pleasant Road, and Kecksburg Road.[6] Substantial completion of the construction of Section Q20 was in Fall 2024.[7] The middle section, V20, from Norvelt to Bingham Road just south of PA 130, is planned to follow a new alignment mostly following existing SR 2023 with construction planned in 2026 and 2027.[8] The northernmost section, Y10, from Bingham Road to the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, follows SR 2023 from Bingham Road past a new roundabout at PA 130 (the current PA 130/PA 981 concurrency to the west in Pleasant Unity will be removed) along Bell Memorial Church Road to a new roundabout near Green Street where Bell Memorial Church Road will continue along existing SR 2023 while PA 981 splits to the west along a new roadway. PA 981 follows this new alignment to a new roundabout at current PA 981 and a relocated Airport Road on the south side of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. PA 981 will continue north along its current alignment from here. Construction for Section Y10 is anticipated to begin in 2025 with completion expected in 2027.[9]


Major intersections

The entire route is in Westmoreland County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Rostraver Township0.0000.000 PA 51 – Uniontown, Pittsburgh/Finley RoadSouthern terminus; Finley Road was realigned to this intersection as part of the I-70/PA 51 interchange construction in 2024[10]
Youghiogheny River1.594–
1.656
2.565–
2.665
Smithton Low-Level Bridge
Mount Pleasant13.81922.240
PA 31 west (West Main Street) / Braddock Road
Southern end of PA 31 concurrency
14.18722.832
PA 31 east (West Main Street) / South Church Street
Northern end of PA 31 concurrency
Mount Pleasant Township15.35624.713 PA 819
Unity Township23.06137.113
PA 130 west (Main Street) / Marguerite Road
Southern end of PA 130 concurrency
23.54037.884
PA 130 east – Lycippus
Northern end of PA 130 concurrency
28.27345.501 US 30 (Lincoln Highway) – Greensburg, Ligonier
Derry Township38.16961.427 US 22 / US 119 (William Penn Highway) – Pittsburgh, Ebensburg
Loyalhanna Township45.89273.856
PA 286 east (Washington Street) – Saltsburg
Southern end of PA 286 concurrency
46.09074.175
PA 286 west (Waukeena Road)
Northern end of PA 286 concurrency
Bell Township48.59478.204
PA 156 north / Nelson Road – Avonmore
Southern terminus of PA 156
50.48381.245 PA 819 – Slickville, ApolloNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. ^ Google (February 15, 2014). "Pennsylvania Route 981" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  3. ^ Pennsylvania Highways: Route 981
  4. ^ PennDOT: State Route 981 and U.S. 30 Improvements Project Archived February 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ PA 981 Renaming: Honorable Mike Reese Memorial Highway
  6. ^ "Route 981, Section Q20, Route 819 to Norvelt". Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  7. ^ "SR 981 Section Y10 January 2025 Open House" (PDF). Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  8. ^ "Route 981, Section V20, Norvelt to Bingham Road". Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  9. ^ "Route 981, Section Y10, Bingham Road to the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport". Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  10. ^ "I-70 at Route 51 Interchange". I-70 at Route 51 Interchange. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

External links