PA Turnpike 576 begins at an interchange with I-376 and the entrance to Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township, Allegheny County.

[3][5] Past the US 22 interchange, PA Turnpike 576 continues south through wooded areas with some fields and development, coming to a mainline toll gantry before curving to the southeast.

Past this interchange, the road comes to a high bridge that crosses over a Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway line, Millers Run, and PA 50.

[3][4] PA Turnpike 576 continues southeast through a mix of fields and woodlands and heads across Coal Run before it crosses back into Cecil Township in Washington County and comes to its present eastern terminus at an interchange with I-79 and Morganza Road.

[6] The Findlay Connector section of PA Turnpike 576 originally had ramp toll plazas located at the eastbound exit and westbound entrances of its three interchanges (excluding the western terminus at I-376).

Less than a year before the airport relocated to its new site, the PTC decided to move forward with the Southern Beltway project in 1991.

The Connector was delayed by the discovery of state endangered short eared owls nesting at the Imperial Grasslands in the path of construction.

[16] Before construction of the Findlay Connector, residents from the Weirton/Steubenville area had to travel down US 22 all the way down to PA 60 in heavily congested Robinson Township, then take then-PA 60 north to the Airport.

[24] Construction began on February 17, 2014, with rock blasting on the unbuilt end of the US 22 interchange to begin building the bridge to carry the Southern Beltway over US 22,[25] while a formal groundbreaking with Governor Corbett and other state officials occurred on May 12, 2014.

[28] By April 2021, most of the mainline paving and bridge work was complete, with finishing touches like road sign and toll gantry installation as well as line striping to take place in mid-2021.

[30] A ribbon-cutting ceremony for this segment was held on October 14, 2021, with state and local officials in attendance,[31] which opened to traffic the following day.

[33][34] The second leg of the Southern Beltway is expected to provide significant economic development to rural northwestern Washington County.

[35] Additionally, since the project was announced, Royal Dutch Shell has built a $6 billion cracker plant in nearby Monaca in Beaver County.

In December 2014, it was reported that the Mon–Fayette Expressway and the Southern Beltway might get additional funding through foreign investors who obtain an EB-5 visa in exchange for investing at least $500,000 for public projects.

[40] On June 18, 2015, the PTC announced that the final leg of the Southern Beltway would be restarted and return to the design phase, though no timetable for its construction has been established.