For the next two years, the largest highway project in Pennsylvania will be in Penn State's own backyard.

Work on the $192 million Interstate 99 construction project, which will eventually connect the Mount Nittany Expressway with the Bellefonte Bypass, began in late 1998. However, with work not slated for completion until late 2002, many upperclassmen will not be in Happy Valley to reap the benefits of the new highway.

But few students can miss the large construction zone, reduced speed limits and minor traffic delays encompassing the project. The number of workers on the fiv e job sites currently under construction varies daily, but Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Chuck Yorks said up to 500 workers can be on the job each day. Most of the work is being done during daytime hours, but when heavy earth moving is involved, some work is done at night, he said.

PennDOT workers built two cement-mixing plants on-site, which is not unusual for a job this size and magnitude, Yorks said. Building the plants, one located near the Penn State Research Park interchange and another near the Scotia Road interchange, was more cost-effective than trucking the amount of cement the project demands, he said.

Traffic woes

As Labor Day weekend and the first home football game nears, PennDOT and university officials' attention is turned to dealing with the intense influx of traffic that accompanies any battle on the Nittany Lions' home turf, especially considering the current construction both on the I-99 project and Beaver Stadium.

Ultimately, the new eight-mile, four-lane, limited access highway will ease travel to and from the university, especially for students and visitors traveling from the East who use Interstate 80, Yorks said.

Travelers can drive past Centre Community Hospital, get on I-99 and not hit another traffic signal until they reach their destination, he said.

Yorks said the construction has caused only minor traffic delays so far, mainly on the Bellefonte Bypass, which has two lanes of traffic open instead of four. Evening rush hour traffic causes the most delays, he said.

Bob Donaldson, director of Centre County Planning Office, said municipal officials are working with PennDOT and the contractors to foresee and deal with any traffic problems.

Donaldson said he wasn't aware of any major traffic problems so far, adding that even the reduced speed limit zones don't seem to be affecting traffic patterns. "Traffic is supposed to slow up, but it seems traffic is still moving at the same pace," he said.

Preparing For The Game

When football traffic starts pouring into town on Sept. 2, the flood of Nittany Lion fans could cause a traffic headache. But PennDOT and Penn State officials said they're ready for the crowds.

All season ticket holders have been informed about the construction and any changes in traffic and parking assignments, said Dwight Smith, supervisor with Penn State Police Services.

Yorks said most football fans expect the traffic jams. They're as much a part of the Penn State football experience as the tailgating, the Blue Band or the drum major doing a flip, he said. "It's part of the allure."

PennDOT is working with Penn State officials to inform the university of the construction project and how it could affect the inflow of traffic to Penn State, Yorks said. Workers delayed one project, which would have closed a section of Park Avenue, until after move-in day to help accommodate the traffic entering State College last weekend, he said.

Yorks doubts the I-99 work will make a substantial difference on the backed-up traffic that normally accompanies a home football weekend. Contractors working on a new interchange near Research Park are required to keep the four lanes of traffic open at all times, he said. While speeds are reduced in the construction zones, much of the work is being done on the roadsides to affect traffic as little as possible, he added.

The Breakdown

Work on the project is split into four construction sites. Work in 1998 began on the stretch of highway at the Route 26 end, near Interstate 80. The 2.3-mile section of highway and interchange is between the Route 26 Bellefonte Bypass and Rishel Hill Road.

The second site is a 3.9-mile section of highway in Benner and College Townships between Rishel Hill and Rock Roads.

Work in the third construction area includes a 1.5-mile section of highway in Benner and College Townships between Big Hollow and Rock roads.

The fourth section, closest to University Park, includes a short portion of highway and more than 12 miles of new interchange ramps between Big Hollow Road and the Route 322/Park Avenue interchange.

Environmental Concerns

PennDOT's chosen route brought protest from some environmental groups last year. The Bald Eagle Ridge Protective Association and five other sporting and environmental groups filed suit on Feb. 1 against PennDOT for its decision to build through what they considered ecologically valuable forests and wetlands.

The environmentalists argued that the chosen ridge route was more environmentally damaging than another proposed valley route that would have sent I-99 through 3.75 acres of wetlands, 0.6 miles of streams and 209 acres of interior forest in Bald Eagle Valley. The groups argued the ridge route would result in the loss of 17.44 acres of high quality wetlands, 1.6 miles of streams, 2,895 acres of interior forest and 66 acres of game lands, according to a statement released last February.

Yorks defended PennDOT's decision, adding that it was citizens' protests at a public meeting that led PennDOT to abandon its original valley route decision in favor of the ridge route. "It was the community who said, 'Don't come down by the valley,'" he said.

Yorks said PennDOT is working to reduce water problems by constructing a storm-water-management facility, building special embankment cuts to separate highway run-off water from natural up-slope drainage, relocating stream reaches to restore aquatic life and constructing new wetlands.

Looking Toward The Finish Line

While the project remains on schedule and PennDOT looks toward the late 2002 completion date, students and visitors may discover, once complete, the inconvenience of the four-year project was worth any traffic hassles.

Although workplace traffic, such as professors and university personnel who live outside of State College, will benefit the most, students leaving town will also feel an impact, Donaldson said.

Yorks agreed downtown traffic will be relieved, especially on the eastern end of town. Although mileage-wise the trip won't be any shorter, the trip will be quicker and easier, he said.