This intersection was the scene of traffic congestion until the summer of 1979, which signaled the beginning of a new life for the intersection through a widening project. The 1977 bond issue provided funds to widen the intersection to four lanes with a left-turn lane on each approach and right-turn lanes for soutbound and eastbound traffic. Thirty-First Street also was widened to four lanes between Garnett Road and the Mingo Valley Expressway, and several reinforced-concrete box bridges were built throughout the project, which was completed in 1980. A large oak tree once stood on the southwest corner near where the eastbound right-through lane is located today. Several major businesses are located at the intersection, including Skaggs Alpha Beta, Hobby Lobby, Otasco and The Meeting Place Restaurant, which features steaks and seafood. The Egg Roll Express once was an Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. Photograph taken January 1986.
