PennDOT has a new proposal for the Interstate 80 bridges over Canoe Creek in Clarion County and North Fork Creek in Jefferson County — one-way tolling.
The Canoe Creek and North Fork bridges are candidates for tolling through the Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership Initiative as part of PennDOT’s Pathways program.
The Pathways program seeks to identify potential alternative funding solutions for transportation in the state. Under the initiative, tolls collected would be used for the bridges’ construction, maintenance and operation.
“This means that traffic would be tolled eastbound at Canoe Creek and westbound at North Fork,” he said. “This reduces the number of tolls drivers would have to pay on I-80, as well as overall diversions and the need for additional tolling infrastructure.”
One-way tolling should help reduce traffic on the diversion routes, said Allen, who added there is a difference between a diversion and a detour.
“When we shut the interstate down, all of the traffic would go through town,” he said. “A diversion is the choice people would make to avoid paying the toll.”
The North Fork diversion route adds a little less than a mile to the trip, and in normal traffic conditions the diversion route adds about seven minutes of travel time. The diversion route is onto Route 322 (Main Street) in Brookville.
The Canoe Creek diversion route is about an additional seven miles with 13 minutes of increased travel time under normal traffic conditions. That diversion route is through Knox Borough.
“Since we are tolling only one direction that should cut diversion traffic in half,” said Alice Hammond, PennDOT’s District 10 assistant district executive for design.
The I-80 Canoe Creek bridges, which cross over Canoe Creek and Route 4005 (Tippecanoe Road) in Beaver Township, were built in 1966.
“Recent inspections show the westbound bridge is in poor condition, and the eastbound bridge is in fair condition,” said Allen. “The purpose of this project is to provide a safe and reliable crossing of I-80 over Tippecanoe Road and Canoe Creek.”
The proposed project involves replacing the existing structures and updating the roadway within the project limits to meet current design standards and improve safety along the corridor.
Allen said the project must also gain environmental approval from several agencies, including the Federal Highway Commission.
“That has yet to be determined,” she said. “The Canoe Creek Bridge may not be replaced until 2030. There are not just two bridges. There are four, two at each location.”
The toll schedule will depend on the final construction cost. Matt Woodhouse from PennDOT’s central office said the fee for passenger vehicles would be $1 or $2. The rate for larger vehicles hasn’t been determined.
A virtual public meeting for the North Fork project is scheduled to be available online from Nov. 22 to Dec. 22, with an in-person open house set for Dec. 15.
The project team will accept comments throughout the duration of the comment period, which ends at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1.
Online comments can be submitted directly from the meeting website or by email at i80CanoeCreek@pa.gov; by hotline at (814) 201-9939 or by mail at PennDOT District 10, Attn 1-80 Canoe Creek Bridges Project, 2550 Oakland Avenue, Indiana, Pa., 15701-3388.