Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Long Term Lane Restrictions to Begin Interstate 81 Repaired Near Pine Grove

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 5 announced today repairs are underway on Interstate 81 between the Lebanon County line and Exit 104 (PA 125) in Pine Grove and Tremont townships in Schuylkill County.

The improvement project is partially financed with state funds from Pennsylvania’s transportation plan, Act 89.

Currently temporary crossovers are being built to divert northbound traffic to the southbound side. Then on Monday, June 15, the crossovers will be opened and Interstate 81 north and south will be reduced to a single lane through late 2015. All lanes will be open on I-81 north and south through the winter.

Also beginning June 15, the Exit 104 ramp from I-81 north to PA 125 will be closed for approximately three weeks. I-81 north traffic wishing to access PA 125 will follow the posted detour which utilizes Exit 100 (PA 443) to PA 443 and PA 125.

The access ramp from PA 125 to I-81 north at Exit 104 will also be closed for approximately eight weeks starting June 15. Traffic wishing to access I-81 north from PA 125 will follow the posted detour which utilizes I-81 south to Exit 100 (PA 443) to I-81 north.

Next spring all traffic will again be reduced to a single lane and shifted on the newly constructed I-81 northbound lanes while the southbound lanes are being repaired. All schedules are subject to change and updates will be provided when available.

Work on this section of I-81 includes placing an unbonded concrete overlay, interchange improvements at Exits 100 (PA 443) and 104 (PA 125), guiderail updates, signage updates, new pavement markings, brush/tree cutting, and other miscellaneous construction.

Unbonded concrete overlay is a roadway resurfacing process in which a new layer of concrete is poured over an existing layer of pavement with an interlayer between them to break the bond between the two layers. The interlayer allows the layers to expand and contract independently of each other. By allowing the layers to move freely the new concrete surface is less prone to cracking
and pavement deterioration.

Motorists are reminded to be alert for these operations, to obey work zone signs, and to slow down when approaching and traveling through work zones.  These precautions are not only for their safety, but for the safety of the road crews.

Hi-Way Paving, Inc. of Hilliard, OH is the general contractor on the $43,894,275 project. Work began in March and is expected to be complete in May 2017.

The average daily traffic volume on this section of I-81 is 12,626 vehicles northbound and 12,514 vehicles southbound.