On Friday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf joined planning officials to discuss the nearly 90 projects expected to be continued or awarded this year in the state’s northwest region.
Included in that discussion were several projects surrounding roads and bridges funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
“It is going to be a robust construction season in the northwest corner of the state, with more than $299 million in projects starting or continuing this year,” Wolf said. “Our PennDOT employees and contractors work hard to provide everyone with a safe transportation system, and we’re asking drivers to do their part by slowing down and staying alert whenever approaching or traveling through a work zone.”
Plans for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) District 1, covering Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties, are expected to improve nearly 177 miles of roadway and replace or repair 24 bridges, including 15 in poor condition and two that are considered historic. The two historic bridges will be preserved and repurposed, PennDOT said.
“Investing in infrastructure is critical to safely moving people and supporting our economy,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is supporting and accelerating projects this year and beyond.”
The district is expecting to award 80 contracts for work to be done in 2022 and 2023, including projects supported and accelerated by the BIL. In 2022, the BIL will bring nearly $20.5 million in additional funding to the department’s northwest region. The department and its planning partners will use funds for projects throughout the region.
The BIL will provide an additional $1.05 million to locally owned bridge projects in the region starting in 2023, increasing the district’s annual investment into local bridges to $5.4 million through 2026.
Included in the PA DOT’s funding plan are a $66.1 million project to reconstruct seven miles of Interstate 90 in Erie County, including the Route 18 interchange and three bridge replacements; $3.8 million for a 5 Points Roundabout in Summit Township in Erie County; $2.8 million to patch and repair I-80 from the Ohio state line to mile 15 in Mercer County; and $1.9 million to replace the bridge on Route 62 in Venango County.