Motorists using the Routes 22 and 145 will face lane restrictions starting Aug. 20.

PennDOT officials have announced the ramp from eastbound Route 22 to northbound MacArthur Road will be closed permanently starting 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Motorists traveling eastbound on Route 22 will access MacArthur Road/Route 145 using a single, newly constructed ramp, regardless of whether they intend to go north or south on MacArthur.

Lane restrictions are also scheduled for 10 p.m. Aug. 20 through 6 a.m. Aug. 21 on both highways.

Lanes will be closed on Route 22 East and West between 15th Street and Fullerton Avenue in Whitehall to allow workers to safely move concrete barriers, paint lines and implement new travel lane configurations.

Northbound and southbound lanes on Route 145/MacArthur Road also will be closed between Grape Street and Fairmont Avenue to allow workers to shift the northbound travel lanes from their current location in the eastern side of the bridge and to the new section at the center of the bridge.

Motorists should expect delays and use caution driving through the work zones, according to Penn-DOT officials.

The project, which began in May 2012, involves the reconstruction of Route 145/ MacArthur Road in the area of the Route 22 interchange, replacing the Route 145/MacArthur Road Bridge over Route 22, and construction of new interchange ramps.

The interchange is being reconfigured to eliminate the current merging movements on the Route 22 on/off ramps by replacing the cloverleaf interchange with a diamond interchange.

Other improvements include new traffic signals on MacArthur Road at the interchange ramps and constructing a wider and taller bridge on MacArthur Road over Route 22.

The project, now entering the fourth of five phases, is expected to be complete in December, though the schedule is weather dependent.

Whitehall Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. called the project "the biggest change to Route 22 since it was built in the 1950s."

The $13.8 million project is designed to improve traffic flow for the 87,000 vehicles traveling Route 22 and the 38,000 vehicles traveling Route 145/ MacArthur Road each day.

More information is available at www.145-22int.com.