Price Tag For Fixing I-83 Congestion Is Out Of Reach

Locator map of the Harrisburg metro area in the south central part of the of . Red denotes the Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area, and yellow denotes the Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon CSA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you’re jumping onto Interstate 83 North using the New Cumberland ramp, just south of the 83 split, there’s a secret to surviving the experience.

For the uninitiated, the ramp starts at a stoplight and heads up a small hill, blindly leading drivers onto a congested, two-lane highway.  The merge zone can be measured in hands, not feet.

The key is to hammer the accelerator heading up the ramp, and whisper a silent prayer that a gold Buick isn’t stopped at the top.

If you time it right, you’ll hit highway speeds about the same time as you hit the road, which, if everything goes according to plan, allows you to slip into traffic between two tractor-trailers.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/i-83_york_split_eisenhower_int.html#incart_flyout_news

PennDOT To Start $22M Rebuild Of I-83 York Split

Five years ago, and after a string of crashes, officials pledged to do something about the Interstate 83 York split.

Each day, like clockwork, traffic builds along this vital link among Harrisburg, the West Shore, York and points south. It’s one of the most congested and dangerous stretches of highway in the midstate.

On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will start rolling out the first phase of a two-year, $22 million project to rebuild the I-83 York split in Cumberland County.  Nighttime lane restrictions are expected to begin Aug. 12 and last for three weeks, as work crews prepare the site for construction.

PennDOT is hosting a meeting about the project on Aug. 28 at Cedar Cliff High School.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/i-83_york_split_penndot_conges.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Our Take: Here’s Hoping For A Wider I-83

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When a bill is working its way through the Legislature, the specific details should often be taken with a grain of salt as they are fine-tuned and tweaked on the way to being implemented.

But when several of York County‘s state legislators recently outlined some projects that could be funded through Pennsylvania’s transportation bill, we couldn’t help but cross our fingers and toes, and pull out the lucky rabbit’s foot in hopes of one project coming to fruition:

The widening of Interstate 83.

State Sen. Rob Teplitz and state Rep. Mike Waugh released several projects that could be funded through a $2.5 billion transportation bill that has already passed the state Senate.  It will now be discussed by the state House and would need approval from Gov. Tom Corbett.

Read more:  http://www.ydr.com/opinion/ci_23543180/our-take-heres-hoping-wider-i-83