VERNON TOWNSHIP — A more than $26 million, two-year reconstruction of Interstate 79’s Meadville/Conneaut Lake interchange is scheduled to begin next week — bringing with it some traffic detours.

The project, which will rebuild the southbound and northbound bridges carrying the interstate over routes 6, 19 and 322 and rebuild the exit and entrance ramps at the interchange, starts Monday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Contractor Joseph B. Fay of Russellton will carry out the $26.2 million project in two phases starting with the southbound side this year.

The southbound I-79 bridge over routes 6 and 322 will be rebuilt this year as well as exit and entrance ramps for the southbound lanes of the interstate, said Deborah Casadei, PennDOT spokeswoman. The work is to be completed by late October.

Traffic on I-79 will be maintained in both directions in the northbound lanes during southbound reconstruction. Traffic will be separated by a concrete barrier.

The southbound work will close exit and entrance ramps related to the southbound side of the interchange this construction season.

“We’re trying to find ways to minimize the impact that we can (on businesses),” said Casadei. “We got a lot of help from tourism (Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau), the (Meadville-Western Crawford County) Chamber (of Commerce), businesses, emergency services and (Vernon) township.”

PennDOT officials met in mid-February with businesses, tourism, Chamber and local elected officials to discuss the construction project and its impact.

The I-79 southbound off-ramp to routes 6 and 322 eastbound will be closed this year.

Also, the I-79 southbound off-ramp to routes 6 and 322 westbound will close in April, but it will reopen to traffic by June.

Southbound I-79 traffic wanting to exit to Meadville or Conneaut Lake will be detoured at the Saegertown interchange via routes 198, 98 and 6.

The routes 6 and 322 westbound to I-79 southbound ramp will also be closed from April through October this year. Traffic for this ramp will be detoured via routes 6, 19 and 285 to I-79 at the Geneva interchange.

All northbound ramps and the route 6 and 322 eastbound to I-79 southbound ramp will remain open during 2008.

Work on the southbound side begins Monday at 8 p.m. when Fay’s crews will install underdeck shielding on the I-79 southbound bridge. The shielding is to protect the highway beneath the bridge.