Total Reconstruction Project
Spring 2024 – Stage 2 construction continues this spring in the center area of Interstate 76 between mileposts 324 and 326 under the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s $117 million reconstruction and widening project.
Workers in late 2023 completed construction of the new eastbound and westbound lanes and shoulders and shifted traffic onto the new pavement to begin reconstruction of the four existing lanes and median.
Since the shift, the old concrete pavement was excavated and recycled on-site for reuse later as the base of the new eastbound and westbound pavement.
The Turnpike’s contractor then began installing a new stormwater drainage system that will connect to the new drainage system that was installed under the new outside lanes and shoulders during Stage 1 construction.
Several stormwater retention basins also were excavated during Stage 1 construction, including an expansive drainage field adjacent to the eastbound Valley Forge Service Plaza. The basins are currently in temporary configurations and will be converted to their final configurations in spring 2025.
Stage 2 work also includes construction of the middle sections of Turnpike bridges over U.S. 422, Thomas Road, and Glenhardie Road. The existing middle sections of the U.S. 422 and Glenhardie Road bridges were removed over the past winter. The middle portion of the Thomas Road overpass will be dismantled in early spring.
*Glenhardie Road will remain closed between Richards and Walker roads for a Tredyffrin Township project that will replace the stone arch bridge carrying Glenhardie Road over Trout Creek. More information on the Township’s project can be found here.
Following completion of the stormwater drainage system, the contractor will begin the process of building four new asphalt travel lanes between the bridges where drainage pipes and inlets are in place later this spring.
Sound wall and retaining wall construction is substantially completed across the project area.
New pavement markings will be placed on the reconstructed roadway and at the Valley Forge/I-276 interchanges once the new pavement is in place. New overhead signs and sign structures also will be installed at this time.
Travel restrictions will be publicized in advance via Travel Advisories that will be sent to email subscribers and posted to the website. Click here to sign up for the PTC 324-326 email list.
Turnpike (I-76) Mainline construction is expected to take place Monday through Friday between 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. through mid-2025. No long-term lane restrictions are expected later during this stage, but occasional nighttime lane closures and traffic paces may occur later this year.
Similar construction to widen and reconstruct the Turnpike between Mileposts 312 and 316 is currently in its first major stage of work on the outside shoulders. Click here to learn more about that project.
Travel Impacts:
Travel Impacts:
Travel Impacts:
The PTC completed a tree clearing contract in April 2021 within the limits of their right-of-way in advance of the upcoming construction project. The reason for performing the work at this time is due to environmental regulations, which require that cutting down trees greater than 4 inches diameter must occur between the months of November and March due to the presence long eared bats, which are an endangered species in this region. In order to not impact the schedule of the upcoming construction project, the PTC initiated a separate contract to remove the trees within the allowable time of year. After the trees are cut down, they are being collected and turned into wood chips. Since the project area is within the Spotted Lantern Fly (SLF) quarantine area, trees and branches cannot be transported out of the quarantine area. All trees and branches must be chipped and left sitting in piles for several days to generate heat to kill the SLF eggs. Wood chips are then being collected and removed. The PTC will remove all remaining stumps and perform any needed residual tree clearing within the appropriate restrictions as part of the upcoming construction project.
A project to patch and resurface the existing Turnpike roadway between the Mill Road overpass and Valley Forge Interchange started on April 19, 2021. The contractor is currently working on the eastbound Turnpike, working their way from the area of the Mill Road overpass towards the Valley Forge Interchange. The eastbound work is anticipated to be complete by the end of April and will then begin working westbound. The overall completion date for this pavement patching work is July 23, 2021 but may be completed as early as Memorial Day. The work needs to be performed at night due to lane closures that are required during off-peak hours.
This work is not part of the upcoming reconstruction and widening project but is needed to make sure the existing roadway will remain in good condition over the next several years during the widening project.
The reconstruction and widening project is going out to bid in July 2021 and construction is expected to begin in September 2021. Construction is anticipated to take approximately 3 years, with the Turnpike open to 6 lanes of traffic by November 2024. There may be some additional landscaping and seeding that needs to be completed in the Spring of 2025 depending on weather and timing. The PTC's contracting methods, which are widely used across the industry, are to design and sequence the project, but provide general guidance in the way of timing. This is done to allow flexibility to the Contractor to get the best quality project in a reasonable timeframe. Therefore, the timing of specific construction activities will be determined by the Contractor. The Contractor will provide a more detailed schedule once the project is awarded and regular updates will be posted on the project website as construction progresses to provide advanced notice of specific work activities.
The reconstruction of the Turnpike bridges over Thomas and Glenhardie Roads is estimated to begin in May of 2022 and continue through May of 2024. Both Thomas and Glenhardie Roads will require single lane conditions underneath the bridges for a period of time, in order to provide sufficient room for the bridge construction. Temporary traffic signals will be installed on each side of the bridge to control the flow of traffic. A closure of Thomas Road to all traffic will occur in the Fall of 2021 for installation of a storm drain pipe and traffic will be detoured using Glenhardie Road. It is anticipated this closure will last approximately one week. Intermittent short-term closures at both sites will occur as needed for specific demolition and erection operations. Please refer to the link below for a preliminary construction and detour schedule. The website will be updated during construction to provide advance notice on the timing of these restrictions.
The sound barriers for this project will be built during the first stage of construction, which will take approximately 2 years to complete between the Fall of 2021 and end of 2023. Not all sound barriers will be constructed at the same time, however they will all be constructed by the end of 2023. The location of the sound barrier, relative to the Turnpike and construction access, influences the decision on when a given section of barrier can be constructed.
Construction of the widening and reconstruction project will result in excess soil and rock that needs to be permanently placed within the project limits. The PTC has identified an area within their property at the Valley Forge Service Plaza where the contractor can place this material, which is shown on the map using the link below.The excess excavation areas may be up to 35 feet in height. The existing berm behind the service plaza is 18 feet high.
This project includes the replacement of three mainline bridges, which carry the Turnpike over local or state roads. The following structures will be replaced during the mainline construction:
