Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[roadman65]

I see right now a big plan is underway to make I-83 more interstate than the pre interstate freeway of US 230 Bypass, it’s former route before the Interstates came into play.

If you live in the area you have seen the replacements of both US 22 and Union Deposit Road overpasses to allow for more lanes on the freeway.  The original bridges looked like the Derry Street overpass over US 322 which were built for only four lanes, but now six lanes plus auxiliary lanes are needed for I-83. 

The project is in five phases as more is to come including possibly building a toll bridge in place of the South Bridge across the Susquehanna River instead of giving it a replacement out of tax dollars.  Then there are other widening concerns that will soon be addressed as well. 

My interest in it is what about the Eisenhower Interchange which I do not see as part of this as with a six lane I-83 through there would need a complete overhaul to handle the extra lanes.  Maybe it’s included but not worth talking about, so that is why. Anyway glad to see PennDOT moving into the future instead of the past.

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 8 News: SB I-83 Traffic to be Placed in Final Configuration at Widening and Reconstruction Project Near Harrisburg

[RevZimmerman]

I see right now a big plan is underway to make I-83 more interstate than the pre interstate freeway of US 230 Bypass, it’s former route before the Interstates came into play.

If you live in the area you have seen the replacements of both US 22 and Union Deposit Road overpasses to allow for more lanes on the freeway.  The original bridges looked like the Derry Street overpass over US 322 which were built for only four lanes, but now six lanes plus auxiliary lanes are needed for I-83. 

The project is in five phases as more is to come including possibly building a toll bridge in place of the South Bridge across the Susquehanna River instead of giving it a replacement out of tax dollars.  Then there are other widening concerns that will soon be addressed as well. 

My interest in it is what about the Eisenhower Interchange which I do not see as part of this as with a six lane I-83 through there would need a complete overhaul to handle the extra lanes.  Maybe it’s included but not worth talking about, so that is why. Anyway glad to see PennDOT moving into the future instead of the past.

The I-83 Beltway website [https://www.i-83beltway.com] has some information on the Eisenhower Interchange that will have to be redesigned and rebuilt as part of the larger project.

Some links below will be helpful:
https://www.i-83beltway.com/projects/east-shore-section-2.php  (That is the section of the project involving the Eisenhower Interchange.)

https://i-83beltway.com/docs/SR_0083_Section_078_Environmental_Assessment_Report_Appendices_November_2019.pdf  (In that document, look at Pages 12–21 for Eisenhower Interchange design that was being evaluated for environmental assessment.)

[Roadsguy]

After the 2018 public meeting, they posted detailed diagrams of Section 2 and Section 3. There's also a revision to Section 3, particularly to the proposed alignments of Paxton Street and the 19th Street ramps.

[roadman65]

I’d like to know also why they didn’t construct both US 22 and Union Deposit Roads into SPUIs? It could have easily been done when the overpasses were replaced.

[froggie]

SPUIs may not be necessary, especially at Union Deposit.  And SPUIs have far higher costs than a more traditional interchange.

[Roadsguy]

A SPUI would definitely be warranted at Union Deposit, but I spoke with someone from the project a while ago who told me it was just cut because of the cost of the more complex bridge and re-grading the ramps.

As for the project status, all three through lanes are open in the southbound direction! The right through lane and auxiliary lanes aren't fully paved yet, but all the stop sign merges are gone in that direction.

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 8 News: NB I-83 Traffic to be Placed in Final Configuration at Widening and Reconstruction Project Near Harrisburg

[74/171FAN]

Live Now: I-83 South Bridge Project On-Demand Virtual Public Meeting 

Materials are available through November 24, 2021.

PennDOT News Release:  PennDOT - District 8 News: PennDOT Invites Public to Comment on I-83 South Bridge Replacement Project

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 8 News: Nighttime Lane Restrictions on I-83 at Widening and Reconstruction Project Near Harrisburg

[74/171FAN]

PennLive I-83 Update:  If the I-83/South Bridge is tolled, ‘growth would be stalled’: Dauphin County officials

[roadman65]

Boy the state is in one big dilemma here. Charge tolls and piss off residents, or charge the treasury and wipe out its account.

[74/171FAN]

FYI, April 2022 Update on the I-83 South Bridge Project is on the project page.

Basically, the project limits are being extended east across the East Shore Viaduct to the existing PA 230 overpass.  (however, the new PA 230 interchange is not shown in the project limits)

[webny99]

FYI, April 2022 Update on the I-83 South Bridge Project is on the project page.

Basically, the project limits are being extended east across the East Shore Viaduct to the existing PA 230 overpass.  (however, the new PA 230 interchange is not shown in the project limits)

Great to see this happening and it certainly makes sense to include the 2nd St interchange as part of the project. However the PA 230 overpass does seem like an odd spot for the end of the project limit. Given the new C/D roads that will be added, it will make for an interesting interim tie-in until East Shore Section 3 is done.

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 8 News: PennDOT Invites Public to Comment on I-83 South Bridge Project

[Ted$8roadFan]

Glad to see this happening as well. I’ve always been curious as to why Pennsylvania has so many underdesigned/outdated highways and interchanges for so long.

[DJStephens]

Glad to see this happening as well. I’ve always been curious as to why Pennsylvania has so many underdesigned/outdated highways and interchanges for so long.

A lot of reasons.
1. A big state, for northeastern standards.  A lot of lane miles to maintain. Lot of long distance US routes.   A lot of Interstate lane miles as well.  Many limited access routes were built in the forties and fifties, hence the narrow profile/cross sections.   
2. Severe weather - deicing chemicals and rock salt used   
3. Cost of labor - "prevailing wage" etc
4. Politics, just like pretty much everywhere else   

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT - District 8 News: PennDOT Invites Public to Comment on I-83 South Bridge Project

PennDOT - District 8 News: CANCELLED: PennDOT Invites Public to Comment on I-83 South Bridge Project

​The Commonwealth Court issued an order on May 18 stopping work related to the Major Bridge P3 initiative. Accordingly we have cancelled the public hearings associated with the project.

Finally finding clarification on this.

[sbeaver44]

My scorching hot take on the I-83 South Bridge is, if you’re going to charge $1-2 toll on it…make the Turnpike bridge not $3.90 toll by plate/$1.70 EZPass between 83 and 283.  Have it be free or reduced toll, maybe a commuter plan.  Encourage traffic coming from York/Baltimore that isn’t going to downtown Harrisburg use 76->283N. 

Right now you have a perfectly good 6 lane bridge sitting at like 20K AADT (the Turnpike) while I-83 sits at 6x that. 

Also I know they really can’t but please fix that god awful merge from 83N to 581W.  That backs up in the morning sometimes as far as the Turnpike.

I fear what happens if you make no changes and begin tolling 83…Market St bridge is going to be nuts.

[74/171FAN]

So I went to get my car serviced today, and I noticed the demolition of buildings on the south side of I-83 between 19th St and Paxton St is already in progress.  I am a bit surprised by this as I thought construction was not to start until at least the mid-2020s if not later.

[Alps]

So I went to get my car serviced today, and I noticed the demolition of buildings on the south side of I-83 between 19th St and Paxton St is already in progress.  I am a bit surprised by this as I thought construction was not to start until at least the mid-2020s if not later.

ROW can take a few years to complete. Probably advancing whatever they can.

[Gnutella]

Glad to see this happening as well. I’ve always been curious as to why Pennsylvania has so many underdesigned/outdated highways and interchanges for so long.

Because many Interstates in Pennsylvania were built in the 1940s and 1950s, and grandfathered into the system. The fact that Pennsylvania has almost as many miles of roads to maintain as Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont combined doesn't help either, because resources get spread thinner.

[Rothman]

Glad to see this happening as well. I’ve always been curious as to why Pennsylvania has so many underdesigned/outdated highways and interchanges for so long.

Because many Interstates in Pennsylvania were built in the 1940s and 1950s, and grandfathered into the system. The fact that Pennsylvania has almost as many miles of roads to maintain as Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont combined doesn't help either, because resources get spread thinner.

If we're talking about state-maintained system mileage rather than total mileage, it makes me wonder which kinds of roads PA maintains that the likes of NY leaves up to municipalities.

[vdeane]

I'm not sure how dense the quadrant route network is, but those would be county routes in NY, so they probably comprise a good chunk of the extra mileage.