LEMOYNE, Pa. — PennDOT is moving ahead on a major construction project on the I-83 South Bridge that connects Harrisburg to Cumberland County, part of the statewide Major Bridge P3 Initiative. But the project is hitting several roadblocks: opposition from local governments and new legislation that could limit funding options.
The bridge was built in 1960 and widened in 1982. It carries more than 125,000 vehicles over the Susquehanna River every day, according to PennDOT.
The project would completely replace the seven-lane bridge with a 10-lane bridge over the course of seven years, at a cost of $500 to 650 million.
PennDOT officials are searching for new strategies for funding, as 74% of their current revenue comes from federal and state gas taxes. As cars have become more fuel-efficient, gas sales have fallen.
The agency is proposing paying for the bridge by tolling vehicles $1 to $2 to drive across through EZPass or Toll By Plate, starting in 2024. The cost for commercial vehicles would be higher.
The prospect of a new toll is not popular in West Shore communities.
“The problem with doing it on this bridge in the greater Harrisburg bridge is you’re talking about a commuter bridge that people use multiple times throughout the day,” said Lemoyne Borough Council President Gale Gallo, who supports the bridge project but opposes tolling.
Gallo and other West Shore officials are concerned about the 22 percent of drivers PennDOT predicts would avoid the toll by taking a different route, which would be about 1,800 cars every hour during peak hours.
“Our local roads weren’t designed for that level of traffic,” said Joe Deklanski of the Wormleysburg Borough Council.
The bridge is already infamous for backing up traffic. Officials don’t’ want what’s known as “the bottle-up” to become “the logjam.”
“Our emergency services are very concerned and we as elected officials are concerned because of the public safety aspect of it,” Deklanski said.
Pending legislation is also challenging the tolling plan.
A bill that would require legislative approval to create new tolls already passed the Pennsylvania Senate and House. It is currently back in the Senate for concurrence on an amendment added in the House.
Gov. Tom Wolf, however, has said he plans to veto the bill, which doesn’t currently have enough support to override a veto.
State Rep. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland) has been a vocal advocate for the House bill, claiming PennDOT didn’t consider her Lemoyne and Wormleysburg constituents in the tolling plan.
“What they really need is to be listened to. Right now tolling is not what they want, and we need to look for other options,” she said.
Delozier advocated for a different option: using some of the $4 billion coming to Pennsylvania as part of the recently passed federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
PennDOT is accepting public comments on the project online through Nov. 24 at 11:59 p.m.
• Email: i83SouthBridge@pa.gov
• Hotline: (717) 743-1005
• Mail: PennDOT District 8, I-83 South Bridge Project, Attn: Derek Mitch, 2140 Herr Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 17103
PennDOT has offered an on-demand virtual public meeting on the I-83 South Bridge project that can be accessed here.