The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced the start of the project to improve Route 62/322 (Liberty Street/15th Street) in Venango County.
The purpose of the project is to provide reliable and efficient transportation facilities for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
The project includes resurfacing and intersection upgrades on Route 62/322 from the intersection of Liberty Street and Eighth Street in the City of Franklin to the intersection of Route 8 and Route 62 in Sandycreek Township.
Work will include milling and paving, storm water drainage upgrades, tree trimming and removal, and roadway painting throughout the entire length of the corridor. The project also includes sidewalk and curb ramp updates as needed and improvements at eight intersections, including the following:
- Eighth Street – Updated signals, intersection widening.
- Ninth Street – Updated signals.
- Washington Crossing – Updated signals.
- 11th Street – Updated signals.
- 12th Street – Improvements to the roadway geometry, addition of left turning lanes on Liberty Street, updated traffic and pedestrian signals, shorter pedestrian crosswalks, pedestrian bump outs, and ADA compliant curb ramps.
- 13th Street – Addition of left turning lanes on Liberty Street, updated traffic and pedestrian signals, and ADA compliant curb ramps.
- 14th Street – Updated signals.
- 15th Street – Minor roadway widening to accommodate truck turning radius and updated flashing signal.
The project is expected to start on April 7, 2026, weather permitting, with tree trimming and removal near the intersection of Liberty Street and 15th Street. Drainage work will begin near the intersection of Garnett Wood Way and Liberty Street.
Construction this season will include paving, drainage improvements, sidewalks and curbs upgrades as needed, preliminary traffic signal work, and roadway painting, which should be completed by October 30, 2026.
Traffic signal work and additional roadway painting are expected to take place next year with completion by July 2027.
Throughout the project, drivers should be alert for temporary lane restrictions with traffic controlled by flaggers and anticipate travel delays. Some work will be completed during nighttime hours, which will be announced in advance.
Work at the 12th Street intersection will require lane closures and will limit turning options between streets at times.
To complete a full reconstruction of the roadway near the intersection of Liberty Street and 15th Street, the roadway will be closed from 14th Street to Chestnut Street for a five-day stretch. The date of the closure will be announced prior to implementation of the detour.
A 42.9-mile truck detour will be posted using Route 62, Route 173, and Route 322 through Sandy Lake and Cochranton. The 4.6-mile car detour would be posted using Bully Hill Road (Route 3021), Congress Hill Road (Route 3021), Pone Lane (Route 3021), and Route 8 (15th Street).
Following the completion of the project, the lanes for through traffic will be permanently modified to one in each direction between 11th Street and 13th Street to accommodate the creation of left turning lanes and bike lanes in connection with the city’s long-term plan.
The contractor is Lindy Paving, Inc., of New Galilee, PA. The contract cost is $16,919,145 which is to be paid through a combination of state and federal funds, including a $1,681,748 Transportation Alterative Set-Aside grant awarded to the City of Franklin.