US-15 / Future I-99 Mileposts

[Beltway]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?

I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

[vdeane]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?

I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

This is why.  Although I am curious why the project will take so long.

[Beltway]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?

I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

This is why.  Although I am curious why the project will take so long.

I know the exact location well. It probably has an AADT of less than 1.

Nevertheless, and long decel lane and long accell lane would address it to full freeway standards.

The rest of the US-15 freeway / Future I-99 was completed in 2013.

[Great Lakes Roads]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?

I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

This is why.  Although I am curious why the project will take so long.

I know the exact location well. It probably has an AADT of less than 1.

Nevertheless, and long decel lane and long accell lane would address it to full freeway standards.

The rest of the US-15 freeway / Future I-99 was completed in 2013.

It's a lot easier to close/remove that access point than to put in long acceleration/deacceleration lanes...

[Beltway]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?

I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

This is why.  Although I am curious why the project will take so long.

I know the exact location well. It probably has an AADT of less than 1.
Nevertheless, and long decel lane and long accell lane would address it to full freeway standards.
The rest of the US-15 freeway / Future I-99 was completed in 2013.

It's a lot easier to close/remove that access point than to put in long acceleration/deacceleration lanes...

I have explored that area on online maps and property plats. There is at least a 200 acre property with that as the only visible access point.

[Bitmapped]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?

I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

This is why.  Although I am curious why the project will take so long.

I know the exact location well. It probably has an AADT of less than 1.
Nevertheless, and long decel lane and long accell lane would address it to full freeway standards.
The rest of the US-15 freeway / Future I-99 was completed in 2013.

It's a lot easier to close/remove that access point than to put in long acceleration/deacceleration lanes...

I have explored that area on online maps and property plats. There is at least a 200 acre property with that as the only visible access point.

The Four Mile tract has an internal private road network that connects to the private road network of an adjacent tract. PennDOT purchased the Four Mile tract rights to use the other property's access road to connect to Steam Valley Road to facilitate the intersection closure. PennDOT is going to put guardrail across Four Mile Road to close the intersection. See MPMS 93024.

[Beltway]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?
I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

This is why.  Although I am curious why the project will take so long.

I know the exact location well. It probably has an AADT of less than 1.
Nevertheless, and long decel lane and long accell lane would address it to full freeway standards.
The rest of the US-15 freeway / Future I-99 was completed in 2013.

It's a lot easier to close/remove that access point than to put in long acceleration/deacceleration lanes...

I have explored that area on online maps and property plats. There is at least a 200 acre property with that as the only visible access point.

The Four Mile tract has an internal private road network that connects to the private road network of an adjacent tract. PennDOT purchased the Four Mile tract rights to use the other property's access road to connect to Steam Valley Road to facilitate the intersection closure. PennDOT is going to put guardrail across Four Mile Road to close the intersection. See MPMS 93024.

That seems logical. With the area being heavily forested it can be hard to see private roads on aerials.

[Dough4872]

Is US 15 gonna remain concurrent with I-99 north of Williamsport or is the north end of US 15 gonna be cut back to Williamsport to remove the concurrency?

[Bitmapped]

A year and a half to upgrade the signage?

I don't see why they can't make it I-99 now -- and I speak from experience of having driven in many times since it was completed in 2008.

FWIW, in a scoping document for the signage upgrade project, there is a note that Four Mile Road cannot be closed until January 1, 2026, to allow for the alternative access purchase to be settled and for the affected owners to be ready to use the new alternative access point.

Is US 15 gonna remain concurrent with I-99 north of Williamsport or is the north end of US 15 gonna be cut back to Williamsport to remove the concurrency?

The plans show I-99 being co-signed with US 15. Even though US 15 could be truncated back to Williamsport, I can see a rationale for keeping them co-signed for several years until people become used to the I-99 designation.

[Beltway]

Is US 15 gonna remain concurrent with I-99 north of Williamsport or is the north end of US 15 gonna be cut back to Williamsport to remove the concurrency?

The plans show I-99 being co-signed with US 15. Even though US 15 could be truncated back to Williamsport, I can see a rationale for keeping them co-signed for several years until people become used to the I-99 designation.

New York signed their US-15 freeway as I-99 about 10 years ago. It is currently designated with both routes.

[Henry]

So how long will it be until the last missing section (along US 220) connects Williamsport to I-80? It's going to very likely be the missing link for a long, long time thanks to that problem junction!

[Dough4872]

Is US 15 gonna remain concurrent with I-99 north of Williamsport or is the north end of US 15 gonna be cut back to Williamsport to remove the concurrency?

The plans show I-99 being co-signed with US 15. Even though US 15 could be truncated back to Williamsport, I can see a rationale for keeping them co-signed for several years until people become used to the I-99 designation.

New York signed their US-15 freeway as I-99 about 10 years ago. It is currently designated with both routes.

I think it's unnecessary and unneeded sign clutter to have US 15 signed along with I-99 north of Williamsport. But I can see keeping it signed to help motorists who have long been familiar with the US 15 designation.

[Beltway]

New York signed their US-15 freeway as I-99 about 10 years ago. It is currently designated with both routes.

I think it's unnecessary and unneeded sign clutter to have US 15 signed along with I-99 north of Williamsport. But I can see keeping it signed to help motorists who have long been familiar with the US 15 designation.

I do agree, but was just commenting on how NY has kept it on the freeway and not reverted it back to the original US-15 highway.

IMO that would be a good idea on the whole route, make the freeway I-99 and revert US-15 back to the original highway -- between I-86 and I-180.

[Bitmapped]

I do agree, but was just commenting on how NY has kept it on the freeway and not reverted it back to the original US-15 highway.

NYSDOT turned over the alignment south of NY 417 to the county. Why would they want to add additional state-maintained mileage when there is a freeway beside it?

IMO that would be a good idea on the whole route, make the freeway I-99 and revert US-15 back to the original highway -- between I-86 and I-180.

Most of I-99 between Williamsport and Tioga is an upgrade of an existing c.1970 US 15 roadway as opposed to a new alignment. Lots of the pre-freeway US 15 alignment no longer exists as an independent road because the new highway was built on top of it or it was flooded by Tioga Reservoir. Where it does exist, it was bypassed 50+ years ago and often is not appropriate for through traffic.

I can't see AASHTO going along with putting US 15 back onto a road with significant design deficiencies, and I don't know there really is a point in doing so even if they would. PA 287 already functions as a good non-freeway alternative to US 15 through this area.

[Beltway]

I do agree, but was just commenting on how NY has kept it on the freeway and not reverted it back to the original US-15 highway.

NYSDOT turned over the alignment south of NY 417 to the county. Why would they want to add additional state-maintained mileage when there is a freeway beside it?

County roads especially numbered routes usually receive funding grants for maintenance from the state DOT.

Here in Virginia they do . . . I don't know how they do it in NYS.

IMO that would be a good idea on the whole route, make the freeway I-99 and revert US-15 back to the original highway -- between I-86 and I-180.

Most of I-99 between Williamsport and Tioga is an upgrade of an existing c.1970 US 15 roadway as opposed to a new alignment. Lots of the pre-freeway US 15 alignment no longer exists as an independent road because the new highway was built on top of it or it was flooded by Tioga Reservoir. Where it does exist, it was bypassed 50+ years ago and often is not appropriate for through traffic.
I can't see AASHTO going along with putting US 15 back onto a road with significant design deficiencies, and I don't know there really is a point in doing so even if they would. PA 287 already functions as a good non-freeway alternative to US 15 through this area.

I have driven the entire original US-15 -- other than a few miles near the reservoir the entire original highway still exists. And major parts of the US-15 freeway were built in the 1990s, and the northernmost 7 miles opened in 2008 (direct eyeball on that one).

Most of it has no route number. That is really up to the localities as to what they want there.

The usual PennDOT practice when a U.S. highway is relocated onto a new freeway, is to leave the original route with no route number.

[amroad17]

Once I-99 is signed along US 15 between I-180 and the PA/NY line, US 15 should be co-signed with I-99 for a couple of years.  Then PA and NY should jointly request to AASHTO for the elimination of US 15 from I-86 to Exit 27A on I-180 (Market Street interchange).

[Beltway]

Once I-99 is signed along US 15 between I-180 and the PA/NY line, US 15 should be co-signed with I-99 for a couple of years.  Then PA and NY should jointly request to AASHTO for the elimination of US 15 from I-86 to Exit 27A on I-180 (Market Street interchange).

That is probably the best.

Isn't that what happened after I-86 to I-390 Rochester was completed?

[zzcarp]

Once I-99 is signed along US 15 between I-180 and the PA/NY line, US 15 should be co-signed with I-99 for a couple of years.  Then PA and NY should jointly request to AASHTO for the elimination of US 15 from I-86 to Exit 27A on I-180 (Market Street interchange).

That is probably the best.

Isn't that what happened after I-86 to I-390 Rochester was completed?

US 15 was truncated to NY 17 after I-390 was completed, though it was signed as NY 15 for a long time (I remember it from our family road trip in the 90s through the Southern Tier expressway). Though the NY 15 overlap along I-86/I-390 was removed in the 2000s.

And it doesn't make sense to return US 15 to its former route for the reasons expressed above. Though, it may make sense when (if) I-99 is extended from I-80 to Williamsport to truncate US 220 to I-99's beginning at I-76 or run US 220 up Alt. 220 to I-80 to end it. Then they could extend US 15 up to I-86 along US 220's route to South Waverly using a short overlap with I-180. It would be logical, though I am entering very fictional territory at this point.

[Beltway]

US 15 was truncated to NY 17 after I-390 was completed, though it was signed as NY 15 for a long time (I remember it from our family road trip in the 90s through the Southern Tier expressway). Though the NY 15 overlap along I-86/I-390 was removed in the 2000s.
And it doesn't make sense to return US 15 to its former route for the reasons expressed above. Though, it may make sense when (if) I-99 is extended from I-80 to Williamsport to truncate US 220 to I-99's beginning at I-76 or run US 220 up Alt. 220 to I-80 to end it. Then they could extend US 15 up to I-86 along US 220's route to South Waverly using a short overlap with I-180. It would be logical, though I am entering very fictional territory at this point.

Whatever the logic might be for having the original highway be US-15, that is long ago history, and it is not likely that the localities would be interested in re-posting it.

I have driven the entire original US-220 between Bedford and State College as well. Some parts are Bus US-220, some Alt US-220, and some parts no route number.