Centre County motorists can expect I-80 Local Access Interchange to be open this fall
The first phase of the estimated more than $200 million Jacksonville Road project is well underway and is expected to be completed by the end of October.
PennDOT officials held a press conference Friday at the worksite of the 1-80 Local Access Interchange, located east of Bellefonte, to provide updates on the Jacksonville Road project that is estimated to cost more than $200 million. The three phase project will build local access, a high-speed interchange connection between I-99 and I-80, and will make improvements to Jacksonville Road, according to PennDOT’s website. The overall project will “enhance safety, ease congestion during high traffic times and help to move goods and services more conveniently,” the website states.
The I-80 Local Access Interchange project will provide direct access between state Route 26 and I-80 at a diamond interchange and will only be utilized by local traffic going to Route 26, PennDOT’s website states.
Peter Hall, PennDOT’s inspector in charge for the I-80 Local Access Interchange project, said going into the third season of construction, the westbound lanes have been reconstructed and some of the bridge substructure has been done. This construction season they’ll do the eastbound reconstructions and some work on Route 26, and some bridge and ramp work.
“At the end of this season, it should be open to traffic in October,” Hall said.
The I-80 Local Access Interchange is the first phase for traffic control reasons, Steve Fantechi, assistant district executive for construction with PennDOT’s District 2, said.
“This will be in place to handle SR 26 traffic and the next phases will complete Jacksonville Road; it will be upgraded for its traffic needs and then the high speed interchange, which will connect I-99 to I-80, will be completed last,” Fantechi said. “So with the combination of a local access interchange and high speed interchange, traffic will move more freely through the area.”
The I-80 Local Access Interchange project bid was awarded to HRI, Inc., of State College, for about $52 million and began in June 2020, according to the project’s website. A $35 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant for the project was announced in 2018.
The next two project phases include the I-80 High Speed Interchange and Route 26 upgrade. The I-80 High Speed Interchange will be a three to four year project, Fantechi said, and the Route 26 upgrade will be a year-long project. The Local Access Interchange will provide adequate traffic control so the two projects will coincide with each other.
Route 26 will be reconstructed and widened as part of the Jacksonville Road Betterment project, to maintain and support the state roadway network, according to PennDOT. It will be bid out in October; the cost estimate is $4-$6 million.
The I-80 High Speed Interchange will give motorists a direct connection between I-99 and I-80 via high speed ramps, according to PennDOT, which will eliminate the need to travel along Route 26 to access either highway. The stop-controlled intersections will be eliminated with the project and realigned to service local traffic, the website states. The estimated cost is $175 million and is expected to go out to bid in February 2023.
