2022 Construction Activity

Work is underway on the Route 981/Route 819 roundabout and the new realigned Route 981 between Hecla Road/State Street and the PA Turnpike. Construction crews are excavating for the new Route 981 alignment between Carpentertown Road and Walton's Lane. Work is ongoing for the 1.75-mile new alignment north of the PA Turnpike including relocation of Carpentertown Road and construction of a new Route 981/Boyer Road intersection. A new bridge will be constructed over Boyer Run. 

Additional work will be underway throughout the year with limited traffic impacts.

Detours will be in place periodically throughout the construction season. Details about anticipated detours are shown below.

Route 981/Fiedors Grove Road Detour

Timing: Late Summer 2022, 10-day duration

Purpose: Construction of new Route 981 alignment from Hecla Road to just north of the PA Turnpike.

Closure: Route 981 near Fiedors Grove Road and PA Turnpike Bridge

Detour Route:

• Fiedors Grove Road traffic will use Viking Drive and State Street.
• Route 981 Traffic will use Route 819, Route 31, Route 981, and Kecksburg Road.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Route 819 Southern Approach Detour

Timing: Late Summer 2022

Purpose: Prepare for construction of the Route 819 Roundabout with sanitary sewer work and construction of the box culvert carrying Shupe Run under the new roadway

Closure: Route 819 closed at the southern approach to the intersection

Detour Route:

• Passenger vehicles will use State Street and Route 981.
• Larger vehicles will use Routes 31 and 119.

Physical Construction Starts | December 6, 2021

Walsh Construction Company began physical construction on SR 981, Section Q20. Most of the work planned for the winter months was performed offline and no major traffic restrictions were expected.

Planned work included:

• demolition of residential structures acquired during the right-of-way process,
• clearing and grubbing for new alignment and widening areas, and
• placing erosion and sedimentation controls.

Motorists are urged to drive with caution throughout the project area and to be alert to the presence of construction workers and vehicles entering and existing the roadway.

Officials Break Ground for LVTIP | November 12, 2021

Dozens of federal, state, and local leaders gathered to celebrate the beginning of construction on the LVTIP corridor, after decades of discussion, planning, and design work. Elected officials at the state, county, and local levels joined PennDOT officials and other partners to ceremonially break ground and acknowledge the collaborate efforts of many leaders and stakeholders whose efforts made the improvements on the corridor a reality.

Project Overview

SR 981, Section Q20 is approximately 4.5 miles and extends from the intersection of SR 981 and SR 819, just north of Mount Pleasant Borough, and ends near the intersection of SR 981 and SR 2023 in Norvelt, Mount Pleasant Township. Section Q20 primarily follows SR 981 with some offline shifts to improve the roadway.