I-99 in NY - it's official

[CentralPAGal]

As of Friday June 27, US 15 from the PA line to Corning/I-86 has been officially marked as I-99.

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20140627/NEWS01/306270011/Corning-now-has-2-interstates-U-S-15-designated-99-Pa-border

[rickmastfan67]

I've been waiting to break that out for awhile. haha.

[ARMOURERERIC]

It's the "Get Smart" interchange!!

[roadman65]

Oh yeah, now I see it.

Anyway, I do not see celebrating just yet.  There still is that section west of Williamsport to be completed.  Plus many of us here detest the I-99 designation to start with.  I would love to see an I-83 north extension to Rochester using this freeway, if it were up to me, but we cannot have it all.

[mvak36]

Are there any plans in the near future to build that section west of Williamsport?

[ixnay]

Has the Williamsport-to-NY line section of U.S. 15 become I-99?  On my trip to Watkins Glen in October 2012, I saw "Future (I-99 shield)" signs along that stretch.

ixnay

[CentralPAGal]

Has the Williamsport-to-NY line section of U.S. 15 become I-99?  On my trip to Watkins Glen in October 2012, I saw "Future (I-99 shield)" signs along that stretch.

ixnay

Not that I am aware of. The article was just talking about the stretch in NY. With this though, it might not be that far off.

Are there any plans in the near future to build that section west of Williamsport?

I never saw anything on that Penndot "Decade of Investment" site, but I have no idea if it's still planned or its being deferred permenantly. Frankly, they should get the I-80 interchange done first.

Does anyone know anything about the I-180/US 15/US 220/Fut I-99 interchange in Williamsport? Would that need to be reconstructed, or is it be close enough to meet standards?

[ARMOURERERIC]

I saw a reference to an interchange project on US 220 a mile or so north of I-80.  But noting more.

[roadman65]

Well it should be to standards anyway to I-180 which would tie both ends into the rest of system.

[briantroutman]

I was last in Williamsport in May, and as of then, I can guarantee that the section from I-180 to the NY state line was posted US 15 only. The "Future I-99 Corridor"  signs have been posted sporadically between Williamsport and Corning for more than a decade. I recall the one in Williamsport being posted around 2000.

Are there any plans in the near future to build that section west of Williamsport?

To my knowledge, no–not in the foreseeable future.

The entire 180/220 corridor, from the US 220/I-80 interchange west of Lock Haven to the I-180/I-80 interchange near Milton, was planned to be a continuous freeway as early as the 1960s. It was being promoted as the Susquehanna Beltway, which is the reason people in the Williamsport area typically refer to I-180 as "The Beltway" . So the freeway gap between Williamsport and Jersey Shore is already a delay in a 50-year-old project.

There was a flurry of activity around 2002-2003 regarding completion of that missing section. PennDOT created a project website (still viewable on the Internet Archive here), but as of April 2004, the home page of the site reported that PennDOT Secretary Biehler ordered all work on the project halted, and it was dropped from PennDOTs Twelve-Year Plan.

The project is not mentioned on the recent "Decade of Investment"  plan. Without a ruthless politician like Shuster willing to divert funds from more deserving projects just to realize the dream of a continuous 99, I have doubts the gap will ever be completed. And further, there isn't the overwhelming public outcry for a new freeway–contrast that with the CSVT link bypassing the congested Shamokin Dam strip. People have been begging for that to be completed for years, and four decades later, it's just now showing signs of being built by 2025.

I saw a reference to an interchange project on US 220 a mile or so north of I-80.  But noting more.

There is another much shorter gap in the freeway between the PA 477 interchange and I-80. But despite having a single at-grade intersection, this roughly three-mile section is more like a super-two in that it was built with PA '70s spec grading, bridges, and shoulders, and the right-of-way leaves room for a new carriageway with two northbound lanes to be built alongside the existing two lanes.

Construction is already underway for a diamond interchange to replace the at-grade intersection with Fairground Road, but I haven't yet seen any other work on grading or constructing the northbound lanes. If they're trying to complete the freeway, PennDOT will also need to completely reconstruct the current diamond interchange with I-80.

Does anyone know anything about the I-180/US 15/US 220/Fut I-99 interchange in Williamsport? Would that need to be reconstructed, or is it be close enough to meet standards?

The current I-180/US 220/US 15 interchange is continuous, but in its current configuration, would require through I-99 traffic to exit via a one-lane ramp, make a 180° hairpin turn (which I believe is posted at 20 M.P.H.) and merge quickly onto itself from a ramp that almost immediately becomes an exit only lane for Third Street.

When I attended the unveiling ceremony of the "Future I-99 Corridor"  sign, the PennDOT spokesperson in attendance said that the interchange "...would definitely be replaced with a high-speed design."  

[CentralPAGal]

I saw a reference to an interchange project on US 220 a mile or so north of I-80.  But noting more.

There is another much shorter gap in the freeway between the PA 477 interchange and I-80. But despite having a single at-grade intersection, this roughly three-mile section is more like a super-two in that it was built with PA '70s spec grading, bridges, and shoulders, and the right-of-way leaves room for a new carriageway with two northbound lanes to be built alongside the existing two lanes.

Construction is already underway for a diamond interchange to replace the at-grade intersection with Fairground Road, but I haven't yet seen any other work on grading or constructing the northbound lanes. If they're trying to complete the freeway, PennDOT will also need to completely reconstruct the current diamond interchange with I-80.

I believe that the construction at Auction Rd./Fairground Rd. will only involve the lanes already there, essentially further reinforcing it as a super-two. I haven't seen it, but from what I understand, the first phase of construction (2 ramps) is done, and the second phase (2 ramps on the west side, and the 220 bridge) will begin later this year

Does anyone know anything about the I-180/US 15/US 220/Fut I-99 interchange in Williamsport? Would that need to be reconstructed, or is it be close enough to meet standards?

The current I-180/US 220/US 15 interchange is continuous, but in its current configuration, would require through I-99 traffic to exit via a one-lane ramp, make a 180° hairpin turn (which I believe is posted at 20 M.P.H.) and merge quickly onto itself from a ramp that almost immediately becomes an exit only lane for Third Street.

When I attended the unveiling ceremony of the "Future I-99 Corridor"  sign, the PennDOT spokesperson in attendance said that the interchange "...would definitely be replaced with a high-speed design."

I was thinking that it would have to be replaced, but I know that sometimes cloverleaf loops are acceptable for a mainline. The thing is though, that I had never heard any talk whatsoever of a new interchange there.

At least the part between 287 and Williamsport, I had seen concepts for. Here's maps of possible (though probably unlikely) for the upgrading of 220 (its some kind of PDF or whatever, maps on pg 146 onward):

http://www.lyco.org/Portals/1/PlanningCommunityDevelopment/Documents/EDPS_PDFs/mapbooks/i99/us220_i-99_5-5-05.pdf

Also, as part of that decade of investment project, they're going to update the Third st (or Fourth st?) interchange on 220

[roadman65]

This is interesting. The NY I-99 and the original Bud Schuster I-99 will not be connected in our lifetime, if what you say PennDOT is not doing in the near foreseeable future.  Wow what a waste of money that campaign was.

All it managed to accomplish was now if congress wants an interstate bad enough and FHWA is not that keen on it is to sign it in to law next session.  Hence it helped TexDOT get the suffixes back for I-69.

[Sam]

Reference markers on US 15 in NY said "99I" when I went through there a year or two back.

[Alps]

Reference markers on US 15 in NY said "99I" when I went through there a year or two back.

They built the road as I-99 internally, to facilitate the transition later on, but that's just for reference. The way the system works, if they built it as 15U, it would always be 15U even after the transition.

[ElPanaChevere]

Oh happy day! I've been waiting for years to hear this news!! 

I'm just now waiting to hear the same thing from I-86 and its extension to I-87.

[qguy]

Are there any plans in the near future to build that section west of Williamsport?

Yes. See the latest PennDOT District 3 press release on the project here. It's called the Route 220 Access Management Study. I don't know what the result will be.

Prior to being forced to stand down by the previous governor (Rendell), the project had advanced to the selection of a preferred alternative: a 4-lane freeway on the hillside(s) above (to the north of) the current alignment of US 220. I don't know the status of that preferred alternative under the new project.

[ElPanaChevere]

I heard some talks earlier about possibly changing I-390 to I-99 and having the route reach up to Rochester. What's the story with this?

[hbelkins]

I heard some talks earlier about possibly changing I-390 to I-99 and having the route reach up to Rochester. What's the story with this?

I think that's just a wish or preference of a bunch of people. I think it should be done.

[briantroutman]

Are there any plans in the near future to build that section west of Williamsport?

Yes. See the latest PennDOT District 3 press release on the project here. It's called the Route 220 Access Management Study. I don't know what the result will be.

This Access Management Study doesn't bring the freeway's missing link any closer to construction. The PennDOT District 3-0 PR representative was quoted in the Williamsport Sun Gazette:

"The study will be engineering additional safety features into the corridor - closing off some access points, making different ones, restricting certain types of movement out onto the road," he said.

If anything, I think the fact that PennDOT is spending the time and money to study closing off median openings and intersections and building other access points seems like an admission that any work on a freeway is far in the distant future.

I heard some talks earlier about possibly changing I-390 to I-99 and having the route reach up to Rochester. What's the story with this?

I've only ever seen this on roadgeek wish lists–never even the slightest indication from an official source.

[vdeane]

Changing I-390 to I-99 is just a roadgeek fantasy as far as I know.  It would require renumbering exits 12 and 13 (which just received/changed numbers last year) on I-99 anyways, so NYSDOT clearly has no plans for this.

Oh happy day! I've been waiting for years to hear this news!! 

I'm just now waiting to hear the same thing from I-86 and its extension to I-87.

I-99 isn't done yet.  The portion between State College and the NY state line still has a few segments that are yet to be built.

[roadman65]

I think that I-99 should be renamed the BS 99 and the B is not for business either.  Bud Schuster should know that his initials stand for a well known abbreviation and that some might use his initials someday.

[jemacedo9]

No I-99 signs up yet, as of 4th of July.  Even though there have been covered I-86 signs on sections of NY 17 between Binghamton and I-84, NYSDOT for whatever reason decided not to do that in this case.  So we wait...

[LeftyJR]

I-99 is a bad number for this route, but the extension into NY (despite the 10 mile gap in PA left) gives it a little bit more legitimacy now. 

Will be number the missing links as I-99 anyway?  Future I-99?  I would imagine this could help travelers on the corridor move more easily.  I don't see the road being completed in PA in the next 10 years anyway.

[hbelkins]

I-99 is a bad number for this route

Only other available number was I-67. It would be just as out-of-place.

[PHLBOS]

I-99 is a bad number for this route

Only other available number was I-67. It would be just as out-of-place.

True, but it wouldn't give the impression that Lex Luthor is attempting setting up a new East Coast along that highway corridor (with a new East Otisburg being located next to Altoona).