PennDOT will start construction on the long-awaited $259 million high-speed interchange project between I-80 and I-99 near Bellefonte next Wednesday.
The project is meant to improve safety and relieve traffic congestion by creating a direct connection between the two highways and bypassing Route 26.
Work will start with widening on a five mile stretch of I-80 between mile markers 158 and 163. That section will be reduced to one lane in each direction overnight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for about two months. Crews will also work during the daytime, but PennDOT does not expect that to affect traffic.
Work on the project is expected to continue through 2030 and will be extensive – including building the interchange, ten bridges, four retaining walls and five box culverts.
The last phase of the project will be rebuilding and widening Route 26. PennDOT said Glenn O. Hawbaker construction company was named the low bidder on that project last Thursday at $8.6 million. Construction on that phase will begin in 2026.
