SHAMOKIN DAM - The state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and state legislators will be holding a press conference today regarding a "major announcement" about the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway (CSVT) project.
The event is set for 11 a.m. at the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce office along Routes 11-15.
PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch will be joined by state Sens. John R. Gordner (R-27) and Gene Yaw (R-23) and state Reps. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-108), Garth Everett (R-84), Fred Keller (R-85) and Kurt Masser (R-107) for the announcement.
The project, which is intended to ease heavy traffic along Routes 11 and 15 north of Selinsgrove at an estimated price tag of $400 million or more, has been stalled numerous times for more than a decade.
In February, Gordner said he was optimistic the transportation chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission would lift the cap on spending so the project could receive the $300 million recommended through that agency. In 2010, it was approved to be part of the Appalachian Development Highway System corridor, a move that was expected to help fund the project.
Gordner also co-sponsored a resolution in July 2011 calling on Congress to reauthorize toll credits as part of any new Surface Transportation Act. The resolution noted that several Pennsylvania road projects, including the proposed CSVT, are dependent upon toll credits.
The thruway would start at what is currently the northern terminus of the Selinsgrove bypass and be routed west of and roughly parallel to the current Routes 11-15 north to Winfield. A new bridge would connect the thruway to Route 147 north of Northumberland.