PennDOT has announced the long-term closure of Route 68 (Adams Street and Virginia Avenue) in Rochester Borough and Rochester Township for a major road project.
Beginning at approximately 7 a.m. April 6, Route 68 was to close between the Rochester Roundabout at Adams Street and Jefferson Street at Virginia Avenue around the clock through mid-November.
Generic file photo of a road closed sign, taken in Lakeland on March 29, 2026.
Crews will conduct full-depth roadway reconstruction, drainage upgrades, concrete curb removal and replacement, shoulder improvements, line painting, signal and intersection updates, and other miscellaneous construction activities. Traffic will be detoured.
Posted Car Detour
East of the Closure
From the Rochester Roundabout, take North Route 18/To North Route 65 at the exit point onto Brighton Avenue
Turn right onto Jefferson Street
Follow Jefferson Street to Route 68 (Virginia Avenue)
West of the Closure
From Route 68 (Virginia Avenue), turn right onto Jefferson Street
Turn left onto Brighton Avenue
Enter the Rochester Roundabout
Posted Truck Detour
East of the Closure
From the Rochester Roundabout, take the Brighton Avenue at the exit point toward North Route 18/To North Route 65
From Brighton Avenue, bear left onto West Madison Street
Turn right onto Delaware Avenue (Route 18)
Merge onto northbound Route 65/18
Turn right onto 13th Street
13th Street becomes Sunflower Road
Sunflower Road becomes Marion Hill Road
Follow Marion Hill Road to Route 68 (Sunflower Road)
West of the Closure
From Route 68 (Sunflower Road), turn onto Marion Hill Road
Marion Hill Road becomes 13th Street
Turn left onto southbound Route 65/18 (3rd Avenue)
Take the left-hand ramp to South 18
Merge onto Pleasant Street
Turn left onto Rhode Island Avenue
Follow Rhode Island Avenue to the Rochester Roundabout
Local traffic will have access to homes and businesses during construction.
The Route 68 Virginia Avenue/Adams Street project began in May 2025 for a cost of $7.04 million. The project is anticipated to conclude by late fall of 2026 and will include roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, guardrail and signing updates, traffic signal upgrades, pavement markings and delineation, and other miscellaneous construction from the roundabout in Rochester Borough continuing approximately 1.3 miles to the intersection of Route 68 (Virginia Avenue) and Sunflower Road in Rochester Township.
During construction, Route 68 (Adams Street/Virginia Avenue) will be closed and detoured with access to businesses and homes maintained. For the entirety of the project, separate car and truck detours will be posted for all project detours.
Drivers can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict11.
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This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Motorists have to find new route around Route 68 work in Rochester
