SHAMOKIN DAM — After decades of discussions and delays, construction of the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway is finally taking flight.
The first phase is getting underway in the $670 million construction job.
The much talked about thruway is expected to take non-local traffic off Route 15 and 11 in Snyder County.
The first step is to build a 13-mile bypass and mile-long bridge over the Susquehanna River connecting Northumberland County to Union County
It was rush hour as usual when Newswatch 16 was in Shamokin Dam. It was bumper to bumper along Routes 11 and 15 in Snyder County Friday evening.
“I’ve lived here most of my life and 11 and 15, as time goes on it just keeps getting worse and worse,” said Mike Yeager of Shamokin Dam.
“Every Friday, this hour, it’s bumper to bumper, you’re going to be there maybe half an hour,” added Barb Bennett of Selinsgrove.
PennDOT says a majority of the vehicles are through traffic and not local.
“This, if you turn around and look at the traffic, it’s backed up, it takes, just from one end to the other 40 minutes and it’s just traffic is ridiculous,” said Dean Ruppert of Shamokin Dam.
But now there’s relief in sight. Construction of the long-awaited and much speculated Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway is finally underway.
The goal of the thruway is to take that through traffic off Routes 15 and 11.
“It’s about time. It’s been since our parents were kids but it will be good, all this will be stopped,” said Ben Moyer of Selinsgrove.
Phase one is a $158 million bridge construction project that’s getting underway now.
A rendering shows the proposed 13-mile bypass that will connect Route 147 in Point Township, Northumberland County to Route 15 across the Susquehanna River in Union Township, Union County.
On Route 147, you can see the amount of progress that’s already taken place on both sides of the river.
In later phases, the connecting throughway will be built running traffic directly to Route 61 in Shamokin Dam and Route 15 in Selinsgrove in Snyder County.
“It’s about time they get rid of all this through traffic and this way, let the town people through so we can get back and forth to work,” said Jenelle Moyer of Selinsgrove.
Once again, the enter throughway project is expected to cost $670 million with the bridge work costing $156 million.
The bridge is expected to be complete in 8 years.