and federal government websites often end in .gov Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address Before sharing sensitive or personal information make sure you're on an official state website The Monaca Gateway Project (Route 51 Section B52) project area includes the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue/17th Street (Route 4044 and Route 0051) and extends along Pennsylvania Avenue (Route 4044) to 15th Street to the west The proposed improvements include replacing the existing stop-controlled intersection with a roundabout gateway design that will improve operations and geometry The roundabout will reduce the number of conflict points The project includes relocating conflicting utilities and full-depth reconstruction of the existing intersection Bicycle ramps will be considered to allow for cyclists to navigate the roundabout as a pedestrian A Virtual Public Meeting was held October 20 discuss community access and safety considerations and provide an opportunity to share interests and concerns A recording of that meeting can be found below and hard copy comment forms will also be available at the Monaca Borough building at 928 Pennsylvania Avenue The project documents can be made available in alternative languages or formats if requested If you need translation or interpretation services or have concerns that require individual attention please contact the PennDOT Project Manager listed above Pursuant to the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 PennDOT does not discriminate on the basis of race If you feel that you have been denied the benefits of or participation in a PennDOT program or activity Shell’s Pennsylvania petrochemical plant is highly unlikely to meet its financial targets Reasons for optimism about the petrochemical industry’s outlook will probably be short-lived Forecasts suggest the margins for three major products at the Shell Pennsylvania plant will decline through at least 2028 Slowing demand from China and overcapacity concerns are likely to suppress future margin growth When Shell announced its massive petrochemical plant in western Pennsylvania in 2016 it provided very little transparency about its financial projections An IHS Markit study estimated earnings before interest and amortization (EBITDA) of $575 million annually for a plant of similar size Even before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy IEEFA and IHS Markit both suggested the markets were not likely to meet the targets. Between Shell’s 2016 announcement and the 2022 commencement of operations Standard and Poor’s warned that petrochemical hubs were facing financial trouble globally. Shell also received violations for failing to comply with state air regulations A Sasol Louisiana petrochemical project also opened to weak performance and a shareholder class- action lawsuit based on lack of transparency in light of adverse market conditions was successful. Sasol and complainants settled for $24 million and governance reforms to improve transparency. Sasol subsequently proceeded with greater transparency Formosa and Mitsubishi in Louisiana are experiencing delays in their Louisiana projects and CC Polymers has missed deadlines on their Texas PET (polyethylene terephthalate) production plant Shell has acknowledged it won’t meet its initial target of $1 billion to $1.5 billion of EBITDA from the plant until 2025 at the earliest. CEO Wael Swan estimated that the Monaca facility will more likely reach its financial goals in 2025 or 2026 suggests that even reaching its goals in 2026 might not be possible and the company might be better off taking an impairment reflecting the ongoing weak position of the project and the industry Abhishek Sinha is an Energy Finance Analyst at IEEFA He conducts in-depth research for our petrochemicals group analysing industry trends Suzanne Mattei is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in public interest law and policy She has analyzed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s policies related to interstate pipeline approval MONACA ― Charges have been filed against an Aliquippa man accused jn a fatal hit-and-run accident that happened Saturday evening in the borough video footage from the area allegedly shows 38-year-old Aldert Bouman driving a vehicle that struck a pedestrian near the 1200 block of Monaca's Pennsylvania Avenue on Jan Bryckik allegedly did not stop to give aid and was driving without a license was rushed to the hospital following the accident to be treated for a brain bleed the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office reported that Brychik had died from his injuries police determined Bouman had recently left a gas station and was traveling south along Pennsylvania Avenue when the accident occurred He faces felony charges for causing an accident resulting in death and for being involved in a fatal accident without a license He also faces charges for failing to notify police and render aid This project included bridge preservation work on the Rochester-Monaca Bridge between Atlantic Avenue in Monaca Borough and Pleasant Street in Rochester Borough Preservation work included expansion joint replacement and other miscellaneous construction activities This project was completed in late 2024.​​  Cost: $8.7 millionContractor: Swank Construction 6/6/2024 - Rochester-Monaca Bridge Long-term Closure Begins Tuesday in Beaver County 5/31/2024 - Rochester-Monaca Bridge Lane Closure Begins Monday in Beaver County 5/2/2024 - Route 51 Intersection Restrictions to Begin Monday in Monaca 4/26/2024 - Rochester-Monaca Bridge Lane Shifts Begin Monday in Beaver County 4/12/2024 - Route 51 Intersection Restrictions to Begin Monday Night in Monaca​ 3/27/2024​ - Rochester-Monaca Bridge Preservation Preparatory Work to Begin Monday in Beaver County​ MONACA ― After three months of traffic disruptions and detours PennDOT has announced that motorists can travel along the heavily used Rochester-Monaca Bridge again the bridge reopened earlier than expected on Friday afternoon after all the work requiring a full closure was completed Traffic will still be restricted to a single lane until late September so motorists utilizing the road may want to plan for potential delays during popular travel times Crews closed the bridge on June 11 to conduct expansion dam joint replacements barrier repairs and other miscellaneous construction activities and other finishing touches to the project The closure has meant detours that sometimes added a half hour or more to commutes through the area and traffic backups on Pennsylvania Avenue in Monaca and Route 65 in Rochester Township It originally wasn't expected to reopen until Aug the following restrictions will be in place: additional work is expected to take place soon at the intersection of 17th Street (Route 51) and Pennsylvania Avenue PennDOT has not provided details on that project at this time This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time MONACA ― A borough man has pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually exploiting minors and obstructing justice the plea for the two counts was entered by 28-year-old Nicholas Sittig on Jan Investigators said Sittig coerced minors into sending him sexually explicit content through the internet then induced the minor to destroy the evidence when he became aware federal law enforcement was investigating him Law enforcement said this exploitation occurred from August 2023 to April 2024 enticed and coerced" a minor from California to produce sexually explicit visuals Sittig became aware federal investigators were investigating the situation he had the minor aid him in destroying evidence such as his contact information within the minor’s cellular telephone and Snapchat messages between himself and the minor agents from Homeland Security Investigations helped to identify a second minor from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania who they said Sittig exploited from December 2023 to March 2024 Sittig can face up to 50 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for his crimes the actor who played Bud Bundy in the TV sitcom "Married.. With Children," will appear at P-Dubs Sports Bar & Grille Faustino will serve as special guest DJ on Oct 5 for a night of '90s and '00s songs at the Monaca sports bar Faustino also will pose for $25 photo opps Faustino played the wise-cracking son of Al and Peg Bundy (Ed O'Neill and Katey Sagal) and sibling of Kelly (Christina Applegate.) Traveling between two prominent Beaver County communities officially becomes more complicated next week as the Rochester-Monaca Bridge closes for more than two months of repairs PennDOT announced Thursday the bridge will close to all vehicles as of approximately noon Tuesday and will remain closed continuously through Aug 20 The bridge has been restricted at various times over the last month as crews prepared things for the long-term closure Thousands of vehicles travel across the Ohio River on Route 18 between Rochester and Monaca each day so the project is expected to cause significant delays in the area as motorists detour their routes PennDOT said in its release that workers will conduct expansion dam joint replacements take Rhode Island Avenue to the Rochester roundaboutFollow the roundabout to Brighton Avenue toward South Route 65/Route 51Take the ramp to southbound Route 65Continue to the left-hand off-ramp for South Route 51Turn right onto the East Monaca-Rochester BridgeTurn right onto Pennsylvania AvenueContinue westbound to 9th StreetEnd DetourLane closures also will occur at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue from 9 a.m Tuesday to allow crews to conduct line painting and signal work in advance of the Rochester-Monaca Bridge closure The restrictions could be lifted earlier if work is completed sooner Bicycle and pedestrian access will be maintained during the closure This $6.69 million project includes bridge preservation work on the Rochester-Monaca Bridge between Atlantic Avenue in Monaca and Pleasant Street in Rochester The entire project is expected to be completed in late 2024 MONACA ― A Beaver County man was killed after being struck by a train Tuesday morning the train was traveling across the Monaca-Beaver Railroad Bridge around 12:30 a.m When first responders arrived at the scene they found that Dick had been fatally wounded during the impact but two individuals who had been walking with him along the railroad bridge were not harmed Representatives for CSX, who operate the tracks along the rail bridge, told local media that Dick and the others were trespassing on the Monaca-Beaver Railroad Bridge at the time of the incident The railroad bridge serves as a connection over the Ohio River for two sets of tracks that are located in the Bridgewater and Monaca communities it is unclear if charges will be filed against the two unnamed individuals who are accused of trespassing on the bridge ALIQUIPPA ― After a successful coat collection last year a brother and sister from Monaca are asking for the community's support once again in helping those in need of warmth this winter Rocco and Remy Petrick, both students at SS. Peter and Paul School, are organizing their Second Annual Winter Coat and Winter Product Distribution Event at their Little Free Library of Aliquippa from noon to 4 p.m they are asking the community to consider donating winter gear and warm coats to help support local families in need "Their library is at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Main Street in Aliquippa," said Samantha Petrick the sibling's mother and organizer of the Annual Period Supply Drive for Beaver County "The products given away are free; no registration is required and children and hundreds of other products." families are also encouraged to consider donating any new or gently used hats The donation boxes will also accept new socks and non-perishable Thanksgiving foods Donation boxes are available at several public spots In addition to these donations, orders can be made from an Amazon wishlist that benefits the winter coat drive Community members can also text or call 724-888-9825 to arrange a time for the event organizers to pick up their donations ROCHESTER ― One of Beaver County's highest-traffic bridges is closed to motorists for months PennDOT has closed the Rochester-Monaca Bridge which carries Route 18 over the Ohio River while workers complete several bridge preservation projects along the structure The bridge will remain continuously closed to all vehicle traffic for nearly three months but officials note the structure will remain open to pedestrians "I think everyone's just kind of waiting and see how it affects things," said David Piuri We know that there's gonna be a lot of traffic We are going to wait and see how it affects everybody." Southbound Bridge Traffic (from Rochester side)From the bridge take Rhode Island Avenue to the Rochester roundaboutFollow the roundabout to Brighton Avenue toward South Route 65/Route 51Take the ramp to southbound Route 65Continue to the left-hand off-ramp for South Route 51Turn right onto the East Monaca-Rochester BridgeTurn right onto Pennsylvania AvenueContinue westbound to 9th StreetEnd DetourTraffic is expected to increase in the communities along both sides of the bridge as motorists navigate to the East Rochester-Monaca Bridge While waiting in traffic can be aggravating officials are urging drivers not to try shortcuts through the back roads as all of the traffic will still be concentrated at the same points "We ask that people be patient and allow themselves extra time to get where they're going," Piuri said Congestion at the bridge is expected to be the worst during "rush hour," which occurs on weekdays between 6:30 and 8 a.m Alternate routes are available for crossing the Ohio River to northern Beaver County with nearby options including the Ambridge Bridge or traveling along Interstate 376 to the Beaver or Center Township exits As the congestion centers on the East Rochester-Monaca Bridge motorists should also remember that emergency vehicles may need to use these routes these vehicles may need to get through traffic quickly to save lives so motorists should give them the right away is also a detour for emergency vehicles," said Eric Brewer director of emergency services for Beaver County "My main concern is with Emergency Medical Services and extra traffic to a detour route during the rush hour might extend the response time to an ambulance that needs to use that same detour route to get to their destination."