Upcoming road work will cause exits on U.S. Route 322 and Interstate 99 in Centre County to be closed for more than two months, according to PennDOT.
Beginning Tuesday, March 31, the right lane of Route 322 westbound near the Innovation Park/Penn State University exit in College Township and I-99 southbound near Exit 61/Port Matilda in Worth Township will be closed until early June. The off-ramps for both exits also will be closed during that time, the department wrote in a news release on Wednesday.
The detour for the Innovation Park/Penn State University exit will direct drivers to continue on Route 322 westbound and merge onto I-99 southbound. They will then take exit 71/Woodycrest-Toftrees, follow Waddle Road to the on-ramp for I-99 northbound, merge onto I-99 northbound and follow it back to Route 322 eastbound and the Innovation Park/Penn State exit on the eastbound side.
Mount Nittany Health advised patients traveling to the medical center from 322 westbound to allow for extra time to arrive at appointments.
For the Port Matilda exit, drivers will leave I-99 at exit 68/Grays Woods-Waddle, then take Skytop Mountain Road to Alternate 220 and follow it to Port Matilda.
Once work is completed on the right lanes, the project will move to the left lanes, and PennDOT says it will issue an update before the shift.
The closures are part of a highway reconstruction project to improve ride quality and extend the service life of about 1.5 miles of roadway, as well as to correct settlement issues on three bridges, according to PennDOT.
The overall construction is expected to be completed around the end of August, though work schedules are subject to change due to weather and other factors.
Francis J. Palo, Inc., of Clarion, is the contractor on the $1.8 million project.
Route 322 westbound detour. Click for larger image. (Image courtesy PennDOT)
I-99 southbound detour. Click for larger image. (Image courtesy PennDOT)
