HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS A map of Centre County shows some of the projects PennDOT is developing.

HOWARD — Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll announced Wednesday his department is investing $212 million in 80 projects in the region during the 2026 construction season, including several in Centre and Clinton counties.

According to PennDOT officials, the district’s overall construction program includes reconstructing and resurfacing 115 miles of highways, sealcoating 316 miles of roadway and repairing or replacing 77 bridges.

“It’s a significant program that is going to touch every corner of our district and provide real benefits to our communities we serve,” said PennDOT District 2 Executive Thomas Prestash. “They include the construction of new highway infrastructure, preservation of existing highway and bridge assets across our nine counties and highway safety improvement projects, all of which are focused on delivering a safe and reliable transportation network to Pennsylvania motorists.”

“Investment in Pennsylvania’s roads is an investment in Pennsylvania’s future,” said Secretary Carroll. “Roads support millions of jobs in the retail, tourism and construction industries, which make maintaining and expanding our network essential to Pennsylvania’s long-term success.”

Carroll said the Shapiro administration has so far improved 19,451 miles of roadway statewide and advanced work on 1,738 state and local bridges, many of which are in District 2. District 2, PennDOT’s largest administrative region, includes Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin and Potter counties.

“Those nine counties are, in my opinion, equally important to every other county in this state, including Philadelphia and Allegheny,” Carroll said, describing Central and Northcentral Pennsylvania as critical to both the state and national economy and transportation network.

“You don’t get from Western Pa. and Eastern Pa. without coming through this region,” he said, highlighting their importance.

Brett Lykens, senior civil engineer manager for PennDOT District 2, elaborated on several major projects planned or underway in Centre and Clinton counties.

MAJOR PROJECTS

Centre County

— Work continues on the six-year, $259.3 million high-speed interchange project connecting interstates 80 and 99 near the Bellefonte Interchange in Marion Township.

The project is designed to relieve congestion along Route 26 (Jacksonville Road) by providing a direct connection between the interstates and improving travel between I-99, I-80, Route 26 and local roads.

Completed so far is the I-80 Local Access Interchange, which provides direct access between Route 26 and I-80 for local traffic using Jacksonville Road, while work on the main interchange remains ongoing.

This year, motorists can expect to see crossovers on I-80 put into service, with three lanes shifted onto the westbound side of the roadway.

“This will allow two lanes of traffic in each direction to be maintained at all times,” Lykens said.

The traffic shift is scheduled for late July.

Also in late July, traffic is expected to begin using the new Jacksonville Road section between the former Pacific Pride site in Bellefonte and Forest Avenue in Spring Township.

Improvements this year will also include completion of a large retaining wall in the median of westbound I-80, the start of construction on two retaining walls in the eastbound median and the beginning of full-depth reconstruction on eastbound I-80. Crews will also continue building large fills between I-80 and I-99.

Secretary Carroll said officials hope to see ramps opening incrementally over the next two to three years.

“I’m thrilled with the progress that I see there,” Carroll said. The overall interchange project is expected to be completed in 2030.

— Construction continues on the Jacksonville Road Betterment Project along Route 26 near the Bellefonte Interchange in Marion Township. The $8.6 million project will reconstruct and widen the roadway to maintain the state transportation network and will feature 11-foot travel lanes and 4-foot shoulders.

— On I-80 in Centre County, PennDOT plans to complete a $13.5 million milling and paving project between mile markers 155 and 159 that will also include preservation work on four bridges.

Traffic there will be controlled with short- and long-term lane closures.

A separate milling and paving project is also planned between mile markers 165 and 170, where traffic will be controlled with single-lane closures.

“When these two projects are complete, we’ll improve the ride quality on Interstate 80 through Centre County and extend the service life of the bridges that we’re doing work on,” Lykens said.

— PennDOT is completing an I-99 preservation project focused on three structures to address settlement of bridge approach slabs.

Additional work includes guide rail updates, pavement markings and other miscellaneous construction along 1.5 miles of roadway.

To complete the bridge work, detours were implemented at the Park Avenue Exit on westbound Route 322 and the Port Matilda Exit, Exit 61, of southbound I-99. The Park Avenue detour is expected to end before the July 4 holiday, while the Port Matilda detour is scheduled to be removed later in July. According to PennDOT officials, those will be the only detours associated with the project.

— Later in the 2026 construction season, PennDOT plans to begin a $3.1 million bridge restoration project along I-99 impacting 15 structures and 11 roadway sections between mile markers 59 and 80. The project will also focus on preserving highway concrete slabs and bridge approach slabs, with stabilization work including jacking and slab stabilization in Worth, College, Patton, Taylor and Benner townships.

All work will be completed at night, with all lanes remaining open during the day, according to Lykens.

— PennDOT plans to complete a $1 million highway restoration and drainage improvement project along Route 144 near its intersection with Route 192 in Centre Hall Borough and Potter Township.

— Along eastbound Route 322 at the top of Port Mountain in Rush Township, PennDOT plans to complete a $720,000 safety improvement project to construct a truck pull-off area.

Clinton County

— Two bridge preservation contracts in Clinton County will rehabilitate eight bridges on Route 220.

This will include a $1.2 million investment in six structures in Castanea Township. In total, PennDOT will perform approximately $2 million in preservation work on the eight bridges, according to Lykens.

The work will include concrete deck repairs, resetting rocker bearings, sealing bridge joints, replacing an expansion bearing assembly and applying new epoxy overlays to bridge decks.

— On Route 120 in Noyes Township, PennDOT will complete $1.9 million in highway restoration and slide repair work near Westport. The project will impact a quarter-mile stretch of roadway and is expected to be completed in November.

REMINDERS

As construction projects continue across the region, the traveling public can expect to encounter numerous work zones in addition to those listed above. PennDOT urged motorists to keep both their own safety and the safety of highway workers in mind when traveling through construction areas.

When approaching a work zone, drivers are reminded to obey posted speed limits, turn on headlights, pay close attention to signs and flaggers and avoid distractions.

Drivers can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. The free service is available 24 hours a day and provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through the App Store, by calling 5-1-1 and through regional alerts on X.

More information on PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects is available at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Readers can also subscribe to PennDOT news and view transportation updates for District 2 at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict2.