PA News

9-day closure set for Bellefonte exit

From staff reports

BELLEFONTE -- The Bellefonte exit from Interstate 80 eastbound will close for nine days beginning Sunday evening as work continues on the new high-speed interchange connecting I-80 and Interstate 99.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said Exit 161/Bellefonte and the right travel lane of I-80 eastbound will close at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, while crews replace a box culvert.

Crews will work around the clock during the nine-day closure, PennDOT said.

During the closure, eastbound traffic will use the crossover lane at mile marker 159.2 to cross the median onto I-80 westbound.

Drivers traveling east on I-80 who want to access I-99 southbound will continue to Exit 163/Jacksonville-Howard and then follow I-80 westbound back to the Bellefonte exit.

Traffic traveling north on I-99 and seeking to access I-80 eastbound will first take I-80 westbound to Exit 158/Milesburg, exit there and merge onto I-80 eastbound.

Once the culvert replacement is complete, Exit 161 will reopen during daylight hours but will continue to close overnight for the remainder of the 2026 construction season.

PennDOT urged motorists to watch for slow-moving or stopped vehicles, obey posted speed limits and work-zone signs and use caution while traveling through the area.

The closure is part of the $259 million high-speed interchange project designed to provide a direct connection between I-80 and I-99. Currently, motorists must use Route 26 to travel between the two interstates. PennDOT said the new interchange is intended to improve safety and reduce congestion.

The project includes construction of 10 bridges, four retaining walls, five box culverts, seven sign structures and three changeable message boards. Crews also will construct or rebuild roads and ramps and complete drainage, lighting, pavement marking, stream and other improvements.

Trumbull Corp. of Pittsburgh is the contractor. About $170 million of the project's funding comes from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Construction is expected to continue through 2030.