Governor Josh Shapiro was in Erie on Friday to announce the beginning of the $111.7 million Bayfront Pkwy Project.

The multi-year project is expected to strengthen the connection between downtown Erie and the waterfront.

Big changes will be coming to the Bayfront that will allow Erie to take advantage of terrain for tourism and economic development.

All traffic lights have turned green to begin construction this October for the Bayfront Parkway Central Corridor Improvement Project. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is collaborating with organizations to improve traffic flow along the waterfront.

Governor Josh Shapiro is investing in this project to bring a brighter, safer future for the city.

“When you’re able to marry together great recreation and our business sector and tourism and marketing, you’re able to create goodness and richness and vitality in a community,” said Governor Shapiro.

“It’s been nearly a nine year process of planning and design for this project. It involves a ton of public involvement,” said Brian McNulty, district executive of PennDOT District 1.

According to PennDOT, the remodel will reduce crashes, decrease congestion and increase traffic operations and efficiency.

“We’re going to add roundabout at the Sassafras and Bayfront Parkway intersection, a roundabout at the Holland intersection as well, and then at State Street we’re calling that a great separated intersection. Where there’s currently a railroad tunnel underneath that intersection, the railroad tunnel will be removed and east/west Bayfront traffic will go under the intersection,” McNulty said.

All improvements to the Bayfront Pkwy are expected to be complete sometime in 2027.

“It’s nearly a three-year construction project. We have three intersections, so thats sort of how we foresee it, is about a year for each intersection. We’ll start at Sassafras and work our way from the east from there,” McNulty explained.

“There’s an important aspect to this project about the local jobs and the local work that’s going to go into getting this done. That’s going to put food on the table of folks living in this community. That’s a good thing for Erie, that’s a good thing tourism, and it’s a good thing for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Gov. Shapiro went on to say.

The project will be paid for through a combination of state and federal funds which includes nearly $28 million from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.