PennDOT completed 39 construction projects, including an improvement project on I-78 in Berks County, so far in 2025
Under the Shapiro administration, 17,722 miles of roadway have been improved and work has advanced on 1,540 state and local bridges
Today, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Engineering District 5, which covers Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties, announced a successful construction season with 87 active projects, 39 of which were completed this year. Work in 2025 included replacing or repairing 133 bridges and paving over 100 roadway miles. PennDOT also recognized the completion of an Interstate 78 improvement project in Berks County.
PennDOT has been hard at work improving Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges throughout the year, improving more than 4,800 miles of road, including over 1,400 miles of paving, and beginning work to repair, replace, or preserve more than 368 bridges from January through October of this year. The budget recently signed by Governor Shapiro continues critical investments in repairing Pennsylvania's vast road and bridge network.
In the east central region, 87 projects with a contract value over $840 million are currently active. A total of 54 projects were or will be put out to bid in 2025 with an estimated bid value over $135 million.
“It was a great year for road and bridge projects, including a major I-78 project in Berks County,” said District 5 District Executive Chris Kufro said. “PennDOT will continue to work with regional planning partners to prioritize projects to improve safety and mobility in east central Pennsylvania.”
The largest project completed this year in District 5 in terms of contract amount, and one of largest in the state, was the Interstate 78 Improvement Project in Hamburg Borough and Tilden Township Berks County.
Work on the $134.6 million project included the reconfiguration and reconstruction of the Interstate 78/Route 61 interchange ramps, widening and rehabilitation of the I-78 mainline arch bridge over the Schuylkill River, widening of the I-78 bridge over Port Clinton Avenue, replacement of the Route 61 bridge over I-78, construction of retaining walls, sound barriers, sign structures, highway lighting, ITS devices, drainage system improvements, guide rail, and safety barriers.
Notable projects continuing this year in District 5 include:
Berks County
- Replacing the I-78 Bridge over Maiden Creek and Route 143 in Greenwich Township, $120 million.
- Improving Route 61 including patching, milling, paving, rehabilitation of three bridges and the replacement of one bridge in Hamburg Borough and Tilden Township, $30.7 million.
- Improving I-78 including patching, milling, and paving in Tilden and Upper Bern townships, estimated $21.72 million.
- Improving Route 61 including resurfacing, drainage upgrades and bridge maintenance in Tilden Township, $13.5 million.
- Route 222 at Long Lane roundabout installation in Maxatawny Township, $9 million.Replacing the Route 183/Schuylkill Avenue bridge over Norfolk Southern Railroad in the City of Reading, $8.47 million.
Carbon County
- Replacing the I-80 Bridge over the Lehigh River, Lehigh Gorge State Park, Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, and River Road in East Side Borough, Carbon County and White Haven Borough, Luzerne County, $120 million.
- Repairs to a retaining wall along Route 209 in Jim Thorpe Borough and Mahoning Township, $8.47 million.
- Rehabilitation of a retaining wall along Hudsondale Street and Hazel Creek, drainage upgrades, guiderail upgrades, and barrier upgrades in Weatherly Borough, $2.8 million.
Lehigh County
- Reconstructing Route 309 at Tilghman Street interchange in South Whitehall Township, $86.47 million.
- Improving I-78 including patching, milling, paving, safety barrier, and drainage improvements in City of Allentown, Salisbury and Upper Saucon townships, $37.8 million.
- Intersection and roadway improvements on Race Street in Catasauqua Borough, $10.2 million.
- Intersection and roadway improvements on Route 145 in City of Allentown, $7.36 million.
- Traffic signal improvements on Route 29 in Salisbury Township, $3.8 million.
Monroe County
- Realigning and reconstructing the Exit 308/Prospect Street interchange on I-80 in East Stroudsburg Borough, $93.8 million.
- Routes 611 and 715 intersection improvements in Pocono Township, $15 million.
- Replacing the Business Route 209 bridge over Kettle Creek in Hamilton Township, $2.7 million.
Northampton County
- Replacing the Route 33 north and south bridges over Bushkill Creek in Palmer Township and Stockertown Borough, $23.2 million.
- Route 248 realignment in Bath Borough, $5.42 million.
- Replacing the Hecktown Road bridge over Route 22 in Bethlehem Township, $4.7 million.
- Replacing the Farmersville Road Bridge over Route 22 in Bethlehem Township, $4.34 million.
- Route 611 Delaware Canal retaining wall replacement in Williams Township, $4.1 million.
Schuylkill County
- Reconstruction and safety improvements on Route 61 in Frackville and St. Clair boroughs, Blythe, New Castle, Ryan, and West Mahanoy townships, $115 million.
- Replacing the Lincoln Drive bridge over Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in Rush Township, $2.9 million.
- Replacing the Route 443 bridge over Mill Creek in Pine Grove Township, $2.8 million.
- Replacing the Brockton Mountain Drive bridge over Locust Creek in Ryan Township, $1.38 million.
- Milling and paving Burma Road/Hancock Street/Wade Road in St. Clair Borough, New Castle, East Norwegian and Norwegian townships, $1.3 million.
Multiple Counties
- Replacing the Route 329 “Cementon” Bridge over the Lehigh River in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County and Northampton Borough, Northampton County, $21.7 million.
Notable projects that were completed or substantially completed this year include:
Berks County
- Improvements to I-78 including patching, milling, and paving in Bethel, Upper Bern, and Upper Tulpehocken townships, $17.7 million.
- Improvements to I-176 including patching, milling, paving, and repairs on two bridges in New Morgan Borough and Caernarvon Township, $5.2 million.
- Improvements at the intersection of Routes 12 and 73 in Ruscombmanor Township, $5.68 million.
- Milling and paving Route 100 in Bally Borough, Colebrookdale and Washington townships, $4.7 million.
- Replacement of the Weavertown Road Bridge in Amity Township, $4.2 million.
Carbon County
- Rehabilitation of the Route 209/East Patterson Street Bridge over the Lehigh Canal and abandoned Northern Reading Railroad in Summit Hill Side Borough, $1.4 million.
Lehigh County
- Improvements to I-78 including patching, milling, paving, safety barrier, and drainage improvements in Upper Macungie and Weisenberg townships, $13.4 million.
- Traffic signal improvements on Route 145/MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township, $6.6 million.
- Milling and paving Airport Road in Hanover Township and City of Allentown, $3 million.
Monroe County
- Route 209/Hamilton West milling, paving, and bridge repairs in Hamilton Township, $11 million.
- Replacement of the Route 209/Route 33 North Bridge over Appenzell Creek in Hamilton Township, $10.2 million.
- Safety improvements on Route 115 in Chestnuthill Township, $5.6 million.
- Milling and paving Route 209 in Hamilton Township, $3.3 million.
- Milling and paving Route 715 in Jackson Township, $2.3 million.
- Milling and paving Business Route 209 in East Stroudsburg Borough, $1.8 million.
Northampton County
- Replacement of the Newburg Road bridge over the East Branch of Monocacy Creek and replacement of the Newburg Road bridge over a tributary to the East Branch of Monocacy Creek in Lower Nazareth and Upper Nazareth Townships, $6.2 million.
- Milling and paving Route 191 in Nazareth and Stockertown boroughs, Palmer, and Upper Nazareth townships, $3.52 million.
- Milling and paving Route 611 in Williams Township, $2.3 million.
- Replacement of the Lower South Main Street Bridge over Martins Creek in Washington Township, $1.9 million.
- Milling and paving Route 191 in Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth townships, $1.6 million.
Schuylkill County
- Milling, patching, and paving I-81 in Foster, Frailey, Pine Grove, and Tremont townships, $14.47 million.
- Milling and paving Route 54 in Mahanoy, Rush, and Ryan townships, $2.7 million.
- Milling and paving Route 54 in Rush Township, $2.6 million.
Multiple Counties
- Milling, patching, and resurfacing of I-78 west in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County and Lower Saucon Township and City of Bethlehem, Northampton County, $13.7 million.
- Rehabilitation of the Route 873 Bridge over Lehigh River in Washington Township, Lehigh County and Lehigh Township, Northampton County, estimated $6.9 million.
Under the Shapiro administration, 17,722 miles of roadway have been improved and work has advanced on 1,540 state and local bridges.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District5.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Ronald J. Young, Jr., M.P.A., ronyoung@pa.gov or 610-871-4555; Sean Brown, sebrown@pa.gov or 610-871-4556
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