BELLEFONTE – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is providing an update for traffic impacts on Interstate 80 eastbound and westbound as the Route 26 Local Interchange project in Centre County continues.
The work zone 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.
Drivers may encounter alternating single lane closures of the eastbound and westbound lanes next week. These closures are necessary for the contractor to complete miscellaneous construction prior to entering winter shutdown.
These daylight closures will be lifted at the end of each workday, and traffic impacts are expected to be minimal. There are no closures scheduled after Friday, Nov. 20.
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.
The plan includes 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.
Subscribe to PennDOT news in Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin and Potter counties at www.penndot.gov/District2.
For regional updates on Twitter, follow www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL.
