PennDOT Bids First Phase of Bellefonte Interchange Project

The long-awaited project that will ultimately result in a high-speed interchange between Interstates 80 and 99 near Bellefonte took another step forward on Thursday.

PennDOT announced it completed bidding for the first phase of the project, a new local interchange. HRI, Inc. of State College was the apparent low-bidder at just under $52 million.

“This is the first step in an overall project that will allow for safer travel between I-99, I-80, Route 26, and other local roads,’ PennDOT District 2 Executive Tom Zurat said. ‘Getting started brings us one step closer to enhancing safety in this area easing congestion during high traffic times, and moving goods and services more conveniently.”

PennDOT will officially award the bid and give notice to begin construction later this spring.

The first phase of what will be an overall three-phase project will create a new local access ramp 2 miles to the east of the current intersection along Jacksonville Road. For local drivers not on I-99, this will be the new access point to I-80. Because of the rural designation of the area, the new local interchange must be built 2 miles from the high-speed interchange. PennDOT purchased farm land at the site of the local interchange there years ago. 

‘We appreciate the efforts that PennDOT has brought to bear to move this project forward,’ said Vern Squier, president and CEO of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County. ‘This is not only a health/safety and efficiency project but one that will bring employment and economic impact to our area in a time it is sorely needed. Again, we thank all of the elected officials, groups and individuals whose collective support made this possible.’

The overall project is estimated to be $200 million. In 2018, PennDOT was awarded a $35.1 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the work. It was the only INFRA grant the state applied for and was awarded after a campaign by local, state and federal officials, county business leaders and other organizations like Penn State. 

Two I-80 bridges that span the junction will soon need major repairs or replacement, and if that work was done without constructing the new interchange, it would have been a generation or more before a high-speed interchange could be developed. Business, tourism, government and transportation leaders viewed the project as a critical one as Centre County continues to grow and the current alignment of the two highways leads to unsafe traffic backups of vehicles waiting to get on and off I-80. 

PennDOT committed more than $150 million to the project and the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization committed another $8 million.

The local interchange is projected to be completed in late 2021. It will be followed by improvements to Jacksonville Road and the high-speed interchange construction, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

“As the only INFRA funded project in Pennsylvania, I could not be more pleased to see this local interchange project get underway,” Zurat said.

The Centre County Gazette’s Vincent Corso contributed to this story.