Altoona, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll was joined by local officials at the Route 36 (Union Avenue) Mill Run Bridge Replacement Project on Route 36 (Union Avenue) in the City of Altoona, Blair County, to highlight the Shapiro Administration’s tireless work to improve regional and statewide transportation networks.
PennDOT and contractor crews statewide have improved over 1,800 roadway miles and work has advanced on 225 bridges throughout the first half of this year. More than 1,400 projects are underway or expected to go out for bid this year, and over 150 contracts for highway, bridge and other transportation improvements have finished so far this year.
“Governor Shapiro and his Administration understand the vital role infrastructure plays in the daily lives of millions of Pennsylvanians, which is why PennDOT works quickly and safely to ensure roads and bridges are ready for the people who rely on them every day,” Secretary Carroll said. “We’re investing in all types of communities – rural and urban – including projects like this one on Route 36, expected to finish later this year.”
The Mill Run Bridge project includes replacing the bridge carrying Route 36 over Mill Run near the intersection of 31st Street and resurfacing 4.2 miles of the route from Frankstown Road to Mill Run Road in the City of Altoona and Logan Township, Blair County. The project developed through extensive coordination with local officials to ensure the project aligned with community priorities while also advancing safety and mobility improvements.
A left turn lane from Route 36 onto 31st Street will be added to improve intersection safety. The project also includes guide rail upgrades, pipe culvert replacements, the application of high friction surface treatment, signing, pavement marking, and alignment and ADA upgrades.
The $8.2 million project is funded through a combination of $5.1 million in federal funding and $3.1 million in state funding.
PennDOT District 9 Executive Vince Greenland provided a brief overview of this year’s construction season in the region covering Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties, which included approximately 167 miles of paving, 92 bridges repaired or replaced, and 453 miles of roadway seal coated.
“These measures support our long-term goals of growing transportation options for residents to travel safely and for business and commerce to be successful well into the future,” Greenland said.
Notable projects from the 2025 construction season include:
● Interstate 70 eastbound resurfacing, Amaranth to Bedford in Bethel, Brush Creek, and Union townships, Fulton County, $19 million.
● I-70, Amaranth to Maryland line resurfacing in Bethel and Union townships, Fulton County, $13.2 million.
● Route 56, Route 96 to Red Oak Road resurfacing in West St. Clair and East St. Clair townships, Cambria County, $7.3 million.
● U.S. 219, U.S. 30 to North Somerset resurfacing in Jenner, Lincoln, Quemahoning, and Somerset townships, Somerset County, $24.6 million.
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 1,000 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.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District9.
Information about infrastructure in District 9, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D9Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects.