HARRISBURG – Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar (R-Somerset/Bedford) and Sen. Pat Stefano (R-Fayette/Somerset/Westmoreland) announced $53 million of Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) funds has been secured for the U.S. Route 219 project.
Metzgar and Stefano said the funding is a huge step forward in completing the final 5.5-mile segment of U.S. Route 219 from Meyersdale to the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.
“This money will get us through the end of the environmental stages of the project,” said Metzgar. “Completing this project is of utmost importance because of the economic and transportation benefits it provides. While I am disappointed that pre-construction costs are this expensive, that is a fight for another day. I am simply thrilled to keep the project moving in the right direction.”
“Route 219 is a critical freight corridor in our region, and this expansion will increase local businesses’ access to both the southwestern region of Pennsylvania and Maryland, which is a huge economic driver,” Stefano said. “Special thanks to the stakeholders who worked so hard to ensure the project would be eligible for the federal infrastructure dollars, enabling construction to begin sooner than it would have otherwise.”
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which was established in 1965, determines the distribution of funding. ARC estimated that Pennsylvania would receive $87.5 million over a five-year period.