A Pittsburgh-based construction company was selected Friday to build a high-speed interchange between the top two highways in Centre County, but the price tag was much steeper than what the state Department of Transportation previously announced.
Trumball Corp. was named the apparent low bidder for the long-awaited interchange between Interstates 80 and 99 in Boggs, Spring and Marion townships. The bid was for $259 million.
As recently as April, PennDOT described it as a $246 million project. In an email Friday, spokesman Steve Harmic told the Centre Daily Times that $246 million was the “low end of the expected range.”
“However, the entire estimated cost range was actually from around $246 million all the way to $271 million,” Harmic wrote. “Estimates are fluid, and can vary greatly over months or even weeks due to fluctuating costs of materials, fuel, and other expenses associated with the project. For these reasons, a wide range is usually projected, and always subject to change.”
By using high-speed ramps, the project will provide a nonstop connection between the two major highways. Drivers will no longer have to use state Route 26 to access either highway.
PennDOT said in a statement Friday that it expects to issue a notice to proceed in July. Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2030. About $170 million of the funding came from the $1 trillion federal infrastructure legislation that passed in 2021.
“This is an exciting day for PennDOT, Centre County, and all of the stakeholders involved with this project,” District 2 Executive Thomas Prestash said in a statement. “This construction will greatly benefit our region by enhancing safety for motorists and making it more convenient to haul freight in and out of the area.”
PennDOT also plans to open bids in two weeks for work that will reconstruct and widen Route 26 between the Bellefonte interchange and Shay Lane in Marion Township. The agency previously said it expected the project to cost $6.9 million and be completed by summer 2026.
The projects are set to begin two years after a new, $52 million interchange was constructed about two miles east of the existing I-80 Bellefonte exit. It gives drivers access to Jacksonville Road, which will not be available once the high-speed interchange is constructed.
