Installation of cable median barriers on several Central Pennsylvania highways, including two areas in Centre County, will begin next week, according to PennDOT.
Work will begin to install a barrier April 9 on Interstate 99 between Bellefonte and Port Matilda. The overall project, which involves roads in four counties and is expected to finish in December, also will include U.S. Route 322 between the Park Avenue exit and Boalsburg.
‘Installation of the barrier will enhance safety for motorists and reduce the potential for head-on collisions on high-volume traffic routes,’ according to PennDOT.
Temporary lane and shoulder closures will be in place, controlled by flaggers in the roadway during installation. Drivers should be prepared for delays and alert for slow-moving and stopped vehicles.
The stretch of Route 322 near State College that will get a new median barrier has seen numerous crashes — though not all head-on collisions — particularly at the curve between the Boalsburg and College Avenue exits.
In September, 47-year-old Robert Bloom was killed in a head-on collision after a Boalsburg woman lost control of her car, went into the grass median and collided with Bloom’s vehicle. Nailah Oliver, 20, was charged in February with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment after police said she was traveling at an unsafe speed in a car that would not have passed inspection. She is awaiting trial.
Other roads that will have a cable median barrier installed as part of the $3.3 million project include:
• Route 220 in Clinton County between Castanea and Jersey Shore;
• Route 322 in Mifflin County between the Mifflin/Centre County line and Reedsville;
• Route 22 in Mifflin County between Lewistown and McVeytown;
• Route 22 in Juniata County between Thompsontown and Millerstown;
