PennDOT announced that the contract has been awarded for the reconstruction work on Route 8 in Irwin, Victory, and Sandycreek townships.

Bids were received from three companies with the contract awarded to the low bidder, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc, of State College, PA. The contract amount is $32,645,000, which will be paid with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds.

Construction is expected to start in April 2020 and will be completed in phases during a two-year period.

Phase 1 – All through traffic will be detoured from Old Route 8 to Route 8. It is expected to be in place for five days. This will allow for repairs to be made to the roadway, so it can be used for later detours.

Phase 2 – All northbound and southbound traffic will be detoured from Route 8 at the southern portion of the work area. The proposed detour route, which is 1.7 miles long, will use Old Route 8 and Georgetown Road. It is expected to be in place for two weeks.

Phase 3 – Southbound traffic on Route 8 will be detoured to Old Route 8 from the intersection of Route 8 and Polk Cutoff Road to the intersection of Route 8 and Old Route 8. Northbound traffic will use the southbound lanes of Route 8. The detour length is 11.3 miles. It is expected to be in place for approximately six months during the 2020 construction season.

Phase 4 – Southbound traffic on Route 8 will be detoured to Old Route 8 from the intersection of Route 8 and Polk Cutoff Road to the intersection of Route 8 and Old Route 8. The detour length is 11.3 miles. It is expected to be in place for approximately six months during the 2021 construction season.

Information on the project is available at www.penndot.gov/district1 by clicking on the Construction Projects/Roadwork link under the Resources heading and then choosing the Venango County – Route 8 Project tile.