It will cost nearly $200 million to complete the major work on a thruway project in central Pennsylvania, based on the bids opened Sept. 25 by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
The low bid of almost $186.4 million to pave and do other assorted work on the southern section of the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway (CSVT) was submitted by a joint venture made up of two Allegheny County, Pa., firms, Trumbull Corp., in Pittsburgh and Golden Triangle Construction Co. in Imperial.
The bid is approximately $1.3 million lower than the one submitted by a Bedford County contractor, one of three other companies that sent in bids.
"We are looking forward to starting the last major contract for this long-awaited project," said Eric High, a PennDOT district executive. "The new highway will not only improve safety by separating trucks and other through traffic from local traffic but also facilitate economic growth in the region by connecting to other major transportation arteries."
The low bid is close to the design estimate, he told the Patriot-News, which serves the greater Harrisburg-Carlisle area of Central Pennsylvania.
PennDOT anticipates awarding a contract within a few weeks, with construction beginning later this year, Hugh said.
That work will include:
• paving the CSVT mainline along with interchange ramps, and installing new guiderails, lighting, overhead signs and traffic signals;
• completing the Pa. Highway 61 connector that will provide direct access between the Thruway and the Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River between the communities of Shamokin Dam and Sunbury;
• adjusting local roads and property access along U.S. Highway 522 and U.S. 11/15 to accommodate CSVT's southern interchange on the south end of Shamokin Dam;
• constructing a noise wall along the CSVT southbound lanes near south Old Trail;
• replacing the overpass carrying Pa. 61 across the existing lanes of U.S. 11/15 in Shamokin Dam;
• completing the Cortland Drive connector between the Weatherfield and Orchard Hills neighborhoods in the town;
• reconnecting County Line Road between Park Road and U.S. 15; and
• resurfacing U.S. 11/15 in Shamokin Dam and Hummels Wharf between CSVT's interchanges as well as Mill Road, 11th Avenue and nearly a mile of Park Road.
Ten Years, Counting On CSVT Construction Project
PennDOT anticipates a late 2027 opening of the southern section, which will connect the northern end of the U.S. 11/15 Selinsgrove Bypass with the Winfield U.S. 15 interchange that was built as part of the northern section of the new thruway.
The agency noted that the Pa. 61 connector project is scheduled for completion in late 2028.
PennDOT chose to delay that phase of the work until traffic was using the new highway so as to lessen congestion on U.S. 11/15 in Shamokin Dam while the overpass is being replaced.
The paving contract is the last major effort planned for the CSVT project. A smaller one is expected to be awarded in 2026, the Patriot-News reported, to install Intelligent Transportation Systems devices that include message boards and traffic cameras.
Chicago-based Walsh Construction Co. is completing a $106 million contract it received in late 2023 to build the nine bridges and four noise barriers.
The first contract for the Thruway's southern section, valued at $115 million, was awarded to Trumbull in May 2022 for needed earthwork.
It has been 10 years since the first contract was awarded on the nearly $1 billion, 12.5-mi. CSVT, which went to Trumbull for $156 million to build a nearly mile-long bridge over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. After the structure was completed in 2020, the thruway's northern section, of which it is a part, was opened in June 2022.
PennDOT said its data shows there has been a significant decrease in traffic on other roads since the northern section of the thruway was opened.
