Bald Eagle Valley
Transportation
Transportation
--------------

[thumb\|upright\=1\.2\|The [Ridge Soaring Gliderport](/wiki/Ridge_Soaring_Gliderport "Ridge Soaring Gliderport") in the Bald Eagle Valley, looking southwest toward [Julian](/wiki/Julian%2C_Pennsylvania "Julian, Pennsylvania"). [Bald Eagle Mountain](/wiki/Bald_Eagle_Mountain "Bald Eagle Mountain") and [Bald Eagle Creek](/wiki/Bald_Eagle_Creek_%28West_Branch_Susquehanna_River_tributary%29 "Bald Eagle Creek (West Branch Susquehanna River tributary)") are on the left, the [Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad](/wiki/Nittany_and_Bald_Eagle_Railroad "Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad") and [U.S. Route 220](/wiki/U.S._Route_220 "U.S. Route 220") are in the lower right, and the [Allegheny Front](/wiki/Allegheny_Front "Allegheny Front") is on the top right.](/wiki/Image:BEV_RSGP.JPG "BEV RSGP.JPG")
### Roads

[U.S. Route 220 Alternate](/wiki/Special_routes_of_U.S._Route_220%23Centre_County_alternate_route "Special routes of U.S. Route 220#Centre County alternate route"), the main route along the valley, ran along the floodplain, but the main route designation has been relocated to the Nittany Valley north of Port Matilda in conjunction with the ongoing extension of [Interstate 99](/wiki/Interstate_99 "Interstate 99") to [Interstate 80](/wiki/Interstate_80 "Interstate 80"). The road north of there is now known as U.S. 220 Alternate. I\-80 runs east\-west across the valley between [Snow Shoe](/wiki/Snow_Shoe%2C_Pennsylvania "Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania") and [Bellefonte](/wiki/Bellefonte%2C_Pennsylvania "Bellefonte, Pennsylvania"). [U.S. Route 322](/wiki/U.S._Route_322 "U.S. Route 322"), Skytop Mountain Road, also crosses the valley through Port Matilda, and across the ridge in a cut at "Skytop". I\-99 runs through the upper valley mostly along the ridge, then wraps around Port Matilda to pick up U.S. 322 in a tandem alignment, before crossing the ridge in the now expanded Skytop cut.

### Canal

The [Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation](/wiki/Bald_Eagle_and_Spring_Creek_Navigation "Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation") Company began building up the Bald Eagle Valley from Lock Haven in 1834\. It reached Howard in 1837, but construction stalled, and it only reached Milesburg in 1847 and Bellefonte in 1848\. Initially successful, the canal began to face railroad competition during the [Civil War](/wiki/American_Civil_War "American Civil War"), and was not rebuilt after its destruction by flooding in 1865\.

### Rail

Construction began in 1858 on Centre County's first railroad, the [Bellefonte and Snow Shoe Railroad](/wiki/Bellefonte_and_Snow_Shoe_Railroad "Bellefonte and Snow Shoe Railroad"), which entered the valley through the [Spring Creek](/wiki/Spring_Creek_%28Bald_Eagle_Creek_tributary%29 "Spring Creek (Bald Eagle Creek tributary)") [water gap](/wiki/Water_gap "Water gap") at Milesburg. By 1862 the line up the Wallace Run side valley, from Wingate to the timber and coal resources of [Snow Shoe](/wiki/Snow_Shoe%2C_Pennsylvania "Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania"), was completed. It ran along the stream bed to the foot of the [Allegheny Front](/wiki/Allegheny_Front "Allegheny Front"), then climbed half of the line's  vertical rise via a unique series of [switchbacks](/wiki/Zig_Zag_%28railway%29 "Zig Zag (railway)") in a steep box canyon near .

The [Pennsylvania Railroad](/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad "Pennsylvania Railroad") financed the construction of the [Bald Eagle Valley Railroad](/wiki/Bald_Eagle_Valley_Railroad "Bald Eagle Valley Railroad") line through the valley, along the floodplain from Tyrone to Lock Haven. When completed in 1865, it used the Bellefonte \& Snow Shoe Railroad track between Wingate and Milesburg. The Pennsylvania Railroad bought the Bellefonte \& Snow Shoe Railroad in 1881, making its former line the Snow Shoe and Bellefonte branches. The Snow Shoe branch has been abandoned, but the [Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad](/wiki/Nittany_and_Bald_Eagle_Railroad "Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad") [shortline](/wiki/Shortline_railroad "Shortline railroad") still runs the lines from Tyrone to Lock Haven and Bellefonte.

### Air

[Ridge Soaring Gliderport](/wiki/Ridge_Soaring_Gliderport "Ridge Soaring Gliderport"), the only airport in the valley, is active (except in winter) with [pilot training](/wiki/Pilot_training "Pilot training") and [glider](/wiki/Glider_%28sailplane%29 "Glider (sailplane)") rides. The former Peterson Memorial Airport, near Tyrone, closed in 1976, and was converted to an industrial park.

North of the valley, near [Black Moshannon State Park](/wiki/Black_Moshannon_State_Park "Black Moshannon State Park"), lies [Mid\-State Regional Airport](/wiki/Mid-State_Regional_Airport "Mid-State Regional Airport"), however, it was shut down after the creation of [University Park Airport](/wiki/University_Park_Airport "University Park Airport").


Where does Interstate 99 run across the valley?