Work on state roads and highways continues around the area, and next week will see lane closures and travel delays.
Here’s an update on upcoming work for PennDOT projects in Centre County.
I-99 Lane Closure
The right lane of Interstate 99 northbound will be closed near the Atherton Street exit (exit 69) beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday. The closure is expected to remain in place until work is completed on Wednesday.
A short-term lane closure also will be in effect on Route 322 eastbound between the exit for Altoona/Port Matilda and the I-99 interchange. The lane closure will be in effect between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The closures are part of road improvement work on a 13-mile stretch of I-99 in Taylor, Worth, Huston and Patton townships from mile marker 56 at the Blair/Centre County line to mile marker 69 near State College. The work zone also includes the I-99/322 interchange near Port Matilda, the Gray’s Woods interchange and the Atherton Street interchange near State College.
The project includes concrete patching, and longitudinal joint cleaning and sealing. Overall work on the $1.9 million project is expected to be completed by mid-July.
Major Delays Continue at Potters Mills Gap
The work the brought lengthy travel delays to the Potters Mills Gap project area of Route 322 will continue into next week.
Delays for drivers heading to and from the Seven Mountains area could be as long as one to two hours on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Roadway flaggers will be enforcing an alternating traffic pattern between Route 144 and Decker Valley Road while utility relocation takes place.
Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes. The utility work and associated delays are expected to continue until June 28.
PennDOT advises drivers to visit 511PA before heading out to determine length of delays and potential alternate routes. Digital message boards in the region also will display travel times and delays.
Long-haul, commercial truck drivers also are encouraged to use Routes 11/15 and I-80 as an alternate route.
One mile east of Potters Mills, a crossover between Decker Valley Road and Sand Mountain Road, with one lane available in each direction, will remain in place through September. Within the crossover is a 14-foot width restriction for westbound traffic and a 15-foot width restriction for eastbound traffic.
Work also will continue off the road and drivers should be alert for construction vehicles entering and exiting the road through the Potters Mills area.
No work will take place on July 4.
The current work is part of the third and final phase of the Potters Mills Gap project, which began in 2015. Phase three is reconstructing Route 322 from Sand Mountain Road at Seven Mountain to Potters Mills, including a new Route 322/Route 144 intersection that will be a part of a local access road. PennDOT says the new road is still on schedule to be open in October 2020.
Atherton Street
Work continues to progress on the multi-year North Atherton Street project, and on Thursday crews will begin removing the long-term work zone on the left side of the road heading toward Park Avenue, between Blue Course Drive and Hillcrest Avenue.
During that time, traffic will be reduced to a single lane for both inbound and outbound traffic from the university and delays are expected. Work will involve line eradication and line painting. Once that work is completed, the permanent signal will be activated again at Cherry Lane, including the pedestrian signal heads for the crossing of Atherton Street.
Village Drive and Cherry Lane will be closed at various times throughout the week to continue installing drainage, pave pipe trenches, curbing. Message boards will indicate when the street closures are in place. This work also will involve restricting traffic to
Portions of sidewalk are currently removed on both sides on Atherton Street between Cherry Lane and Hillcrest Avenue. Signs are in place directing pedestrian traffic to use side streets.
Drainage installation on the left side of Atherton Street traveling toward the university, between Hillcrest and Park Avenue, will result in traffic being restricted to one lane in each direction throughout the week.
The current phase of Atherton Street work involves new drainage improvements, curbing, sidewalks, ADA ramps, traffic signal upgrades, new concrete median, and paving as well as new and relocated utilities. It is expected to be completed in the fall, with work anticipated to resume next year between Park Avenue and Westerly Parkway.
Other Road Improvement Projects
A $4.1 million project to improve 22 miles of roadway in Centre and Clinton counties continues next week with paving and surfacing work on several Centre County roads.
Crews will continue microsurfacing Monday and Tuesday on Bernel Road in Patton Township. Microsurfacing also will take place Wednesday and Thursday on Sayers Dam Road/Beach Street in Howard.
Paving work will continue and is expected to conclude on Monday on Route 64 from Jacob Road in Hublersburg to the Clinton County line. Paving operations will begin Monday on Route 2005 from Water Street to Sinking Creek Road in Spring Mills.
For each site, traffic will be limited to a single lane and flaggers in the roadway will enforce an alternating traffic pattern for both. Short travel delays should be expected, and drivers should be alert for slow moving and stopped vehicles.
