BELLEFONTE – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is alerting drivers that a traffic change on Interstate 80 eastbound is planned for this week as the Route 26 Local Interchange project in Centre County continues.
The work zone for the local interchange is located between the I-80/161 exit and Jacksonville Road, east of Bellefonte. Work to build the local interchange can affect I-80 traffic.
Starting on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the I-80 eastbound passing (left) lane in the project area will be closed and drivers will move through using the existing travel lane and the roadway shoulder. Westbound traffic will not be affected.
Additionally, existing paint lines will be removed, and new markings will be placed in advance of setting barriers. On Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 19 and 20, traffic will be restricted to one lane as crews set construction barrier.
Sometime on Friday, Aug. 21, barrier placement will be finished, and I-80 eastbound traffic will resume travel in two lanes—with one of those lanes continuing to use the roadway shoulder. Work will then begin in the median to build a traffic crossover.
Work on this project is in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which will include protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the job site and relevant training.
The I-80/Route 26 local interchange project is east of Bellefonte and is part of a long-awaited safety-improvement in Centre County.
HRI Inc. of State College is the contractor on this $52 million project. Up-to-date information can be found on the project page at www.penndot.gov/SR26Localinterchange.
The local interchange project is the first phase of a three-phase project to build local access, a high-speed interchange connection between I-99 and I-80, and to make improvements on Jacksonville Road.
An initial $35 million for the project was announced in July of 2018, coming through a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant. Completion of all three phases will support regional freight economy and improve the reliability of roadway travel throughout the region.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA Web site.
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