State College, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that a Valley Vista Drive (Route 8022) bridge preservation project near State College has shut down for winter. The bridge spans Interstate 99 as northbound motorists merge onto Route 8022 via the Valley Vista/Park Forest exit at mile marker 69. The project will upgrade the status of the bridge from “fair” to “good.”

Work was done using half-width phasing. Barriers were removed earlier today, and traffic resumed its normal pattern. Crews will return in the spring to complete pavement marking, line painting and apply an epoxy overlay of the new deck surface. PennDOT will issue an update prior to the start of that work.

The bridge was built in 1970, is 377-feet long and is traveled by more than 4,100 vehicles daily. It is the second and final bridge to see preservation work as part of this contract. The first was a Route 3010 (Elmwood Street) bridge spanning Spring Creek in the Lemont area of State College. Work on that bridge was completed in 2019.

Overall work on this project includes approach slab and strip seal replacement, various concrete repairs to the deck, piers and abutments, painting of the steel structure, approach paving, guide rail installation, pavement marking, and miscellaneous construction. HRI, Inc. of State College is the contractor on this $2.2 million project.

Work on this project was done in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan. The plan included protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the job site and relevant training.

PennDOT encourages drivers to “Know before they go” and to check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting  www.511PA.com. 511PA is free, available 24 hours a day, and provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Subscribe to PennDOT news in Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin, and Potter counties at www.penndot.gov/District2. For regional updates on Twitter, follow www.twitter.com\511PAStateCOLL

MEDIA CONTACT:  Marla Fannin (814) 360-3013, Timothy Nebgen (814) 360-3838

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