Project Description

PENNDOT proposes to address the transportation needs along the US Route 220 corridor from Jersey Shore to Williamsport in Lycoming County. The project study area extends from the Main Street Interchange in Porter Township to the 4th Street Interchange in Woodward Township, a distance of approximately eight miles in an east-west direction. The proposed project study area width varies, with the southern boundary being the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and the northern boundary being the mountain ridgeline (inclusive of the ridge), which roughly parallels US Route 220 at a distance of 1,000 feet to 4,000 feet north of the roadway. The study area includes portions of Piatt, Woodward and Porter Townships.

The main east-west corridor through the area is US Route 220, which provides the only through roadway traversing the entire study area in the east-west direction. PA Routes 287 and 44 intersect and interchange, respectively, with Route 220 in the western portion of the study area and provide the main north-south travel corridors within the study area.

Alternatives including new alignments and the upgrade of existing facilities will be evaluated. This section of US Route 220 has been designated as a potential future extension of Interstate 99. The section of US Route 220 from just west of the PA Route 287 intersection to just west of the Fourth Street interchange for Williamsport has not been part of any recent modernization plan. Additionally, this portion of US Route 220, which was constructed in the 1950's as a four-lane facility on non-limited access right-of-way, has a history of crashes. This is primarily due to speeding, relatively high average daily traffic, and the numerous at-grade intersections creating a conflict of through and local traffic movements.

The Fourth Street interchange, located at the eastern limit of the project, was not originally constructed as a full-access interchange (only movements from US Route 220 north to Fourth Street-east and from Fourth Street-west to US 220 south are permitted). Limited accessibility to US Route 220 from the west end of Williamsport constrains the industrial development of the area and forces truck traffic through the city streets to access destinations north and east of Williamsport. The upgrade of this interchange to full-access interchange would be included with this project.

Because the Susquehanna Beltway is a federally funded project that could have significant environmental impacts, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared.