The long-anticipated completion of one of Pennsylvania’s largest ongoing highway projects has moved another step forward. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has awarded the final major contract needed to finish the southern section of the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway (CSVT), a multi-year transportation project that will eventually connect major routes across the region and reduce local traffic congestion.
On Thursday, PennDOT announced that Trumbull Corp. and Golden Triangle Construction Co. will jointly lead the next phase of work, which includes paving, road infrastructure, and crucial roadway connections. The two Allegheny County companies submitted a successful joint bid worth $186,381,639.
Although crews have been given a notice to begin work, progress will likely be limited in the immediate future due to weather conditions, according to PennDOT official David Wise, who noted that significant progress will not be visible until “the weather breaks in the spring.”
The paving project builds on work already underway. Walsh Construction Co., of Chicago, is currently finalizing a $106 million contract awarded in 2023 to construct nine bridges and four noise barriers on the same route. Meanwhile, PennDOT plans to solicit bids next year to install critical Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), such as traffic cameras and electronic message boards, to improve safety and traffic monitoring.
The awarded contract will complete work such as:
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PennDOT expects the CSVT mainline to open in 2027, providing a long-awaited bypass of Shamokin Dam and Hummels Wharf. Construction of the Route 61 connector, however, will extend into late 2028, a decision PennDOT intentionally made to prevent traffic bottlenecks during construction.
The agency delayed the connector work specifically “until traffic is using the new highway to lessen congestion on Route 11/15 in Shamokin Dam while the overpass is being replaced.”
The Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway has been one of the state’s most extensive infrastructure projects, costing nearly $1 billion and spanning 12.5 miles. The thruway includes a mile-long bridge crossing the West Branch of the Susquehanna River — completed in 2020 — and the northern segment, which opened to drivers in June 2022.
Once completed, the thruway will form a continuous route linking the Route 11/15 Selinsgrove Bypass to the Route 15 interchange near Winfield, transforming traffic mobility throughout central Pennsylvania.
Originally reported by PennLive.
