With spring here, work is continuing on three major Pennsylvania Department of Transportation projects in Centre County.
Here’s a look at upcoming work and traffic impacts.
Atherton Street
Columbia Gas continues gas line relocation on South Atherton Street in State College as part of the next phase of PennDOT’s improvement project for the road.
For the week of April 18, lane shifts are expected on South Atherton Street between Logan Avenue and Center Lane. Roadway flaggers may be present at the Westerly Parkway intersection.
Work is expected to take place each day next week, but is weather-dependent. Plans and locations may change as circumstances warrant.
After starting with gas line relocations, the overall project will include borough utility relocations this spring and summer, followed roadway, drainage, pedestrian and traffic signal improvements on a 1.4 mile-stretch Curtin Road to just past Westerly Parkway. Completion is expected in the fall of 2024.
Route 26/45 Intersection Realignment
Work began earlier this spring to improve the intersection of Routes 26 and 45 in Ferguson Township, about 1.5 miles north of north of Pine Grove Mills.
Travel lane widths are reduced to 10 feet in the work zone and motorists will encounter flaggers in the roadway as lane closures take place.
No lane closures will be implemented between 6 a.m. on Friday, April 22, and 6 a.m. on Monday, April 25 because of Penn State’s Blue-White football weekend.
Work also continues on the construction of a temporary roadway around the work zone, which will provide two-way traffic during the majority of the project. The temporary roadway is expected to carry traffic by the beginning of May.
The $5 million project, which is expected to be completed by mid-November, will include the addition of permanent traffic signals and turning lanes, road widening and roadway realignment of Route 45 to intersect with Route 26 at a 90 degree angle. It also will include drainage improvements, guide rail installation and replacement of the existing concrete bridge on Route 26 with a single span box beam bridge.
The improvements are expected to create a better traffic flow, safer turning maneuverability from all directions and reduced congestion during times of high traffic volume.
I-80/Route 26 Local Interchange
The work zone for the new local interchange for I-80 and Route 26 near Bellefonte will see traffic slow-downs and lane closures during the week of April 18.
Rolling slow-downs for blasting operations could cause delays on I-80 eastbound and westbound.
I-80 eastbound will have a right lane closure from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday with traffic pushed onto the new crossover lane.
During daytime hours, I-80 eastbound is in a long-term configuration. The left lane of I-80 eastbound will take the crossover to westbound, the right lane of eastbound will remain on eastbound and will be shifted to the right through the work zone. At the end of the work zone, the right lane will be shifted back to the left and the crossover lane will rejoin I-80 eastbound.
I-80 westbound is now in its long-term configuration for the summer with two lanes shifted to the right. The right lane rides on the outside shoulder and the left lane rides on what was the travel lane.
On Route 26, flaggers will be in the roadway to enforce an alternating traffic pattern as drainage work continues. Lane restrictions will be lifted by the end of the day each day.
Work this season includes 3 miles of reconstruction on I-80 eastbound, completion of new ramps and connector road, completion of bridge structure and reconstruction and improvements on a section of Route 26.
The local interchange is the first part of a three-phase project that ultimately will create a high-speed interchange between I-80 and I-99. Phase two of the project will consist of improvements to Jacksonville Road between I-80 and the new interchange to prepare for the higher rates of local traffic once the high-speed interchange is complete.
Phase three is the construction of the high speed interchange between I-99 and I-80 that will provide a direct connection between the two roadways via high speed ramps, thus eliminating the need to travel along Route 26 to access either highway.
