Work to repair the deteriorating retaining walls alongside the Centre County Courthouse is slated to begin soon and will require road closures on portions East High Street in Bellefonte over the next year.
JG Contracting Company expects to begin phase one of the project within the next month on the north side of the courthouse. Construction for phase one will result in the closure of the north side of East High Street between North Allegheny and North Penn streets until April 2024, according to a notice sent to nearby residents and shared by the borough.
Detour signs will direct traffic to use North Penn and East Howard streets during the north side closure.
Phase two work will then begin in April, resulting in the closure of the south side of East High Street between South Allegheny and South Penn streets through September. A detour during the south side closure will use East Bishop and South Penn streets.
Work schedules are weather dependent.
The retaining walls on the north and south sides of the courthouse property date back to at least 1900 and are in dire need of repair, county officials have said. Consultant CMT Labs found the north wall particularly needs to be addressed within the next year.
Centre County commissioners voted in May to approve a $2.14 million design/build contract for the project with JG Contracting Company. Commissioners also approved a contract totaling $209,170 with Massaro Construction Management Services to oversee what will be a complex project, given the narrow streets next to the retaining walls and need to maintain court operations.
County Administrator John Franek said in August that it’s expected most operations will be able to remain in the courthouse during the repairs, though some may temporarily relocate across the street.
“I think right now the thinking is that we can shift operations within the courthouse to the opposite side of the building while work is being performed on the other side, and possibly have some court activity migrated across the street to the courthouse annex,” Franek said.
