Near Selinsgrove, PA, U.S. 11/15 are routed along a freeway-grade bypass. However, just north of the town, at Hummels Wharf, the freeway ends at a partially abandoned interchange with U.S. 522. Here, U.S. 11/15 transfers to surface streets. A bypass around the community was originally planned, but the idea was abandoned in 1978 when funding ran out. Previously, completion of the bypass had been considered as part of a proposal to extend Interstate 83 from its current terminus at Interstate 81 just north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Interstate 86/NY 17 in Corning, New York, but with the establishment of U.S. 15 north of Williamsport, Pennsylvania as part of the future Interstate 99 corridor, this concept was dropped. Without additional reconstruction of U.S. 22/322 and U.S. 11/15 south of Selinsgrove, the farthest I-83 could currently be extended would be just across the Clarks Ferry Bridge to an at-grade intersection with PA 849 near Duncannon.
Revival
In the mid-2000s, interest in the bypass has been revived as part of a plan for a continuous highway from the Harrisburg area, north to Williamsport. Part of this may be due to the late 2000s emergence of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale in the northern tier of the state. Due to the natural gas boom and increased logistical demands associated with it, Mark Murawski of the Route 15 Coalition estimates that traffic will triple along the route.
Funding
Former PennsylvaniaGovernor Ed Rendell is reported to have promised $51 million for the project, but his term in office expired before any of the money was allocated. On April 3, 2013, PennDOT announced that the state would commit to allocate $558 million for the project over the following 10 years, pending approval by the General Assembly. The project was included in the proposed $1.8 billion FY 2014 Pennsylvania transportation budget, however, that budget was not approved, creating further uncertainty for the project. A $2.3 billion budget was later passed by the General Assembly and signed by then-Governor Tom Corbett, granting over $500 million for the Thruway, as well as funding other major transportation projects in the state.
Construction
The project is expected to take nine years to construct, with a target completion date of 2024. The first contract, for the bridge over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, is expected to be awarded in August 2015, with construction of the bridge commencing the following year. This will be followed soon after by a second contract for smaller spans north of the main bridge. Construction on the bridge over the Susquehanna is underway and, as of late 2018, was about 75% complete.
Route description
The bypass would start at the partially abandoned interchange with U.S. 522, where U.S. 11/15 currently leaves the expressway. A new freeway carrying U.S. 15 would be built around the western side of the community. The current section of U.S. 11/15 would still carry U.S. 11, but also U.S. 15 Business. A spur would carry re-routed PA 147 and PA 61 to the main bypass via a trumpet interchange; PA 147 would continue north with U.S. 15 as PA 61 would terminate at the interchange. U.S. 15 and PA 147 would continue north concurrently, eventually crossing over the existing stretch of U.S. 15 several miles south of Winfield, in Union Township, Union County. At this point, U.S. 15 would exit the bypass, resuming its current alignment while PA 147 would continue and cross the West Branch of the Susquehanna River over a new bridge into Northumberland County. PA 147 would then merge back to its current alignment at the southern end of the current divided highway segment creating a continuous stretch of limited-access highway between Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania and Corning, New York utilizing U.S. 11, 15, and 220; PA 147; as well as Interstate 180 in PA and Interstate 99 in New York. As part of this plan, the current PA 147 alignment south of the proposed bypass would be reassigned as a southern extension of PA 405, and the current alignment of U.S. 11/15 through Shamokin Dam would be designated as U.S. 15 Business, while U.S. 11 would retain its present designation and route.
