I-80/I-99 High Speed Interchange Project

Friday, September 20, 2024 at 9:45 AM

PennDOT Announces Dates for I-80 Bridge Demolition

Clearfield, PA –

Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that the contractor for its High-Speed Interchange between Interstates 80 and 99 plans to demolish half of a bridge spanning Route 26 on I-80 eastbound at mile marker 160 on Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21. This work is part of the project to enhance traffic safety by providing a direct connection between the two highways, making it unnecessary to travel along Route 26 to access them, relieving traffic congestion, and realigning service for local traffic.

The following detours will be in place for the two days of demolition work:

Drivers on I-80 westbound heading for Interstate 99 via Route 26 will continue to exit 158/Milesburg. I-99 southbound will not be accessible from the westbound lanes at exit 161/Bellefonte for these two days. After taking the Milesburg exit, traffic will take I-80 eastbound back to the 161/Bellefonte interchange to reconnect with I-99.
Drivers on I-99 northbound heading for Route 26 northbound or I-80 westbound will take I-80 eastbound to exit 163/Jacksonville-Howard. Route 26 northbound and I-80 westbound will not be accessible from I-99 northbound for these two days.
Southbound drivers on Route 26 heading for I-99 southbound will merge onto I-80 westbound at the 161/Bellefonte interchange and follow it to Milesburg. The ramps to I-80 eastbound will not be accessible for these two days. After taking the Milesburg exit, drivers will take I-80 eastbound back to the 161/Bellefonte interchange to reconnect with I-99 southbound.

PennDOT Reminds Motorists of Jacksonville Road Closure

Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reminded motorists that the contractor for its High-Speed Interchange project between Interstates 80 and 99 will close a portion of Township Road 758 (Jacksonville Road) between Lyonstown Road and the I-99 interchange starting Wednesday, September 25, and implement a long-term detour. The closure and detour will allow the contractor to conduct large earth-moving operations for a project to enhance traffic safety by providing a direct connection between the two highways, relieving traffic congestion, and realigning service for local traffic.

While this closure is in place, Jacksonville Road will not be accessible from I-99 at the turn near mile marker 85. Instead, traffic will use exit 83/Zion-Bellefonte and follow Route 550 (East Bishop Street) to the intersection of North Wilson Street and North Wilson Street to Jacksonville Road. This detour will allow homeowners along Jacksonville Road to access their properties and patrons to access the following establishments:

Advance Overhead Garage Door, 188 Jacksonville Road.
First Baptist Church of Bellefonte, 539 Jacksonville Road.
Johnstonbaugh Family Day Care, 120 Wiltshire Drive.
Rooted Farmstead, 138 Scott Avenue.
Scott’s Roasting, 120 Sylvan Acres Lane.
Wag Your Tail Grooming, 321 Wiltshire Drive.

PennDOT expects this portion of Jacksonville Road will remain closed until the project is complete in the 2030 construction season.

PennDOT also reminded motorists who park near the interchange at I-99 that they will no longer be permitted to do so. It placed a changeable message board nearby to alert motorists of the closure.

Overall work on this project includes building the interchange, ten bridges, four retaining walls, five box culverts, seven sign structures, and three changeable message boards. It also includes constructing new and rebuilding existing roadways and ramps, drainage improvements, installing Intelligent Transportation Devices, guide rail and highway lighting, pavement marking, stream improvements, and miscellaneous construction. Work will continue through the next six construction seasons, ending in 2030.

Trumbull Corporation of Pittsburgh, PA, is the contractor on this $259 million project. Approximately $170 million of the funding comes from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The high-speed interchange is the next phase of a three-phase project. The first involved the construction of the local access interchange at mile marker 163, which provided direct access between Route 26 and I-80 for local traffic. Construction on that phase occurred over three construction seasons between 2020 and 2022. The contract value was $52 million. That phase benefited from a $35 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding American (INFRA) grant.

The remaining phase will reconstruct and widen Route 26 to maintain and support the State roadway network. It will feature 11-foot travel lanes and 4-foot shoulders. That project bid on Thursday, August 22, with Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. of State College, PA, named the apparent low bidder at $8.6 million. Construction on that phase will begin in the 2026 construction season.

Completing all three phases will support the regional freight economy and improve the reliability of roadway travel throughout the region.

Project Description

The local interchange project is the first phase of a 3-phase project to build local access, a high-speed interchange connection between I-99 and I-80, and to make improvements on Jacksonville Road. An initial $35 million for the project was announced in July of 2018, coming through an INFRA (Infrastructure for Rebuilding America) grant. It was the only project in PA to be realized through INFRA funding. Completion of all three phases will support regional freight economy and improve the reliability of roadway travel throughout the region.

The overall project will allow for safer travel between I-99, I-80, Route 26, and other local roads. The projects will enhance safety, ease congestion during high traffic times, and help to move goods and services more conveniently. The completed project will connect two critical highway and freight interstates.

The three phases of the project include:

The I-80 Local Access Interchange (I-80/A18) will provide direct access between SR 26 and I-80 at a standard diamond interchange and will only be utilized by local traffic destined to SR 26. This project completed mid-December 2022.
The Jacksonville Road Betterment (26/147) will reconstruct and widen SR 26 to maintain and support the State roadway network. It will feature 11-foot travel lanes and 4-foot shoulders. Cost estimate is $6.1 million. It is scheduled to bid in early November of 2023
The I-80 High Speed Interchange (I-80/B18) will provide a direct connection between I-99 and I-80 via high speed ramps, eliminating the need to travel along SR 26 to access either highway. The stop-controlled intersections will be eliminated with the project and realigned to service local traffic. Cost estimate is $190 million. It is scheduled to bid in early December of 2023.

The reliability of the I-99 and I-80 corridors will be increased due to the direct accesses that the project will provide. By directly connecting I-99 and I-80 and eliminating the stop controlled intersections at the ramp, passenger vehicles, commercial trucks, and other vehicles will be able to arrive to destinations more reliably and safely.