$47 Million I-86 Project in Tioga County Nearing Completion

As a major Southern Tier highway improvement project enters its final phase, drivers are being warned that a key entrance ramp is about to be closed.

According to the state DOT, an Interstate 86 on-ramp in Apalachin will be shut down for one week. The entrance from Route 434 to I-86 eastbound at Exit 66 will be out of service beginning Monday.

The closure will allow workers to reconstruct and pave the highway ramp, which is used by thousands of motorists each day.

While the ramp is out of service, signs will direct drivers to use Route 434 east to Route 26 in Vestal before returning to the highway at Exit 67.

The work is being done as part of a $47 million reconstruction project that got underway last year.

Drivers on I-86 between Owego and Apalachin have been using the northside of the highway since April. Two-way traffic is being maintained in the westbound lanes.

The highway's Apalachin exit has been closed to eastbound traffic for several months.

According to a DOT spokesperson, there are no "substantial changes to the previously announced scope of work" for the improvement project. It's on schedule for completion by the end of November.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.