Construction will soon begin on the top two highways in Centre County. Here’s what to know
The final phases of a project to create a high-speed interchange between the top two highways in Centre County are scheduled to begin this summer.
The long-awaited interchange between Interstates 80 and 99 in Boggs, Spring and Marion townships is easily the largest project in the nine-county region that includes Centre County. It comes with a price tag of $246 million.
The project will provide a nonstop connection between the two major highways via high-speed ramps. Drivers will no longer have to use state Route 26 to access either highway. Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2030.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 2 Executive Thomas Prestash said in a statement that it is “very gratifying to see it finally come to fruition.”
“Once completed it will enhance safety for motorists, provide local access connections to Route 26, and facilitate the movement of goods and services to and from our region,” Prestash said.
Work to reconstruct and widen Route 26 from the I-80 Bellefonte exit to Shay Lane in Marion Township is also on PennDOT’s summer docket. The $6.9 million project is scheduled to be completed by summer 2026.
The projects are set to begin two years after a new, $52 million interchange was constructed about two miles east of the existing I-80 Bellefonte exit. It gives drivers access to Jacksonville Road, which will not be available once the high-speed interchange is constructed.
