As the City of Erie developed its downtown and Bayfront region, PennDOT started to make improvements to the Bayfront Parkway to improve traffic.
PennDOT officials said this is just phase one, which included relocating utility poles and removing the old rail system that ran on State Street. Officials added this summer is when drivers will start to notice more construction, which will impact traffic.
Major work on Bayfront Parkway Improvement Project begins: PennDOT
“There’s a big stage of it where there’s not going to be access to and from State Street as a direct result of the project, but maintaining the thruway was obviously a priority and a necessity in doing this. The phases are structured around that, and we will continue to accommodate the east-west traffic throughout the duration of the project,” said Justin Baker, transportation construction manager at PennDOT.
Baker said he hoped phase one of six would be complete on April 1.
Developer Nick Scott Sr., president & CEO of Scott Enterprises, said he welcomes these improvements, as Scott Enterprises will start construction later this year.