Delays expected this month as Potters Mills Gap construction project nears the finish line
At about 65% complete, the U.S. Route 322/Potters Mills Gap Project is running according to schedule, but drivers should expect slight delays this month as PennDOT begins to set beams on what will be the new Route 322 roadway.
Delays will start in two weeks, beginning around 9 a.m. with 10-15 minute stops in each direction on Route 322, said Greg Sidorick, project manager. The 33 beams will be lifted by crane and placed incrementally on Feb. 18, 20, 24, 26, 28 and March 2. The majority of delays will occur in the first two days of work, said Marla Fannin, PennDOT community relations coordinator.
“We’re going to keep it moving as best we can,” Sidorick said, estimating hour breaks in between each traffic stop.
Fannin encourages drivers to use 511PA and check the project’s website for updates. PennDOT message boards will display delay updates and estimated delay times, so drivers can consider alternate routes. If flagging runs longer than planned, PennDOT will update drivers by using social media and signage on roadways.
Once the beams are put in place, the $82 million project will be at 70% completion, Sidorick said. The project started in 2015 with the purpose of improving safety and reducing congestion over the mountain from the Centre/Mifflin county line to west of the Route 322/144 intersection at Potters Mills.
Since June, the project has moved into structural work — phase three of the overall construction project. In this final phase, work is being done to reconstruct Route 322 from Sand Mountain Road to Potters Mills, which includes the creation of a new Route 322/Route 144 intersection.
Traffic has been rerouted to a new local access road, and construction on a retaining wall along existing Route 322 is finished. Now, PennDOT is working to complete a bridge and second retaining wall that will divide the east and westbound lanes of the new Route 322.
Weather permitting, Sidorick anticipates the new Route 322 will be paved in the spring.
Once complete, he said the roadway will be safer and less congested for travelers. In the event of a crash, Sidorick said the new roadway design will allow easier access for emergency services as well as provide alternate routes for drivers.
“We’re right on schedule to be open to traffic in the fall of 2020,” Sidorick said.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 3:11 PM.
