The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation conducted a public officials meeting and plans display earlier this week to inform the public of the I-99 Grazierville to Bald Eagle project.
The project involves the rehabilitation of I-99 between the Bellwood interchange and the Bald Eagle interchange. Project engineer John C. Ciprich said the improvements include patching the existing concrete and paving the roadway.
A PennDOT release earlier this month said additional work will include upgrades to shoulders, guide rails and drainage. The project will also include the reconstruction of the northbound ramp at the Tyrone interchange. The northbound ramp will be detoured for about four weeks during the construction.
The construction is scheduled to take place in 2006. Ciprich said the project would start in March and would continue throughout the construction season.
He said the project would be done in two parts with each requiring different levels of work. The project includes the portion of I-99 from Bellwood to Grazierville. That section of the interstate is the newer section of the road and was completed in the 1990s.
The other section of the project will include from the Grazierville interchange to Bald Eagle. That section of road was completed and opened in the mid-1970s.
Ciprich said the Bellwood to Grazierville section would require concrete patching to about 15 to 20 locations. The Grazierville to Bald Eagle section would require concrete patching and a blacktopping of the road.
The estimated $10 million project will require reducing north and southbound sections of I-99 to single lanes during the project. Ciprich stressed the project would be done in sections so the lane reductions would be in effect at different times in different sections of the project.
He said the entire project covers about 12 miles and would be broken into three sections about three to four miles each in length. Ciprich said the project would be done interchange to interchange; from Bellwood to Grazierville, from Grazierville to Tyrone and from Tyrone to Bald Eagle.
Ciprich said PennDOT is still working on which detour will be implemented when the northbound I-99 ramp in Tyrone is under construction.
He said one plan will route traffic through Tyrone while the other would take traffic south to Grazierville where motorists would then have to turn around to head north. Ciprich said right now the agency is leaning toward the detour through the borough.
Monday\’s open house-style meeting was held to provide the public an opportunity to review and comment on the project and the information presented.
Ciprich said several officials including representatives of Tyrone Borough, Antis Township, the state police and the American Eagle Paper Mill attended the meeting along with three members of the general public.
More information on the project can be obtained by contacting Ciprich at 814-696-7198.
