PennDOT is setting bridge beams over I-83 for the Harrisburg Capital Beltway Project in Pennsylvania. The project aims to improve roadway conditions, ease congestion and enhance safety on I-83. New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co. is the contractor, with completion expected by 2027.
I83 Beltway Project photo
Bridge beams were scheduled to be set on the new 29th Street bridge being constructed in Swatara Township over Interstate 83 and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that bridge beams were scheduled to be set on the new 29th Street bridge being constructed in Swatara Township over Interstate 83 and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.
The procedure was set to be carried out on consecutive evenings, March 24-25, 2025. This work was not expected to impact traffic on the I-83 mainline, PennDOT noted, but brief, intermittent stoppages on Derry Street while the beams are put into place was likely, the state agency said in a news release.
Following that work, more bridge beams are expected to be set over northbound and southbound I-83 on the evenings of March 27-28, 2025. Then, PennDOT will oversee additional beam installations over the widened portion of the freeway on the night of March 31, 2025.
All of the current work is associated with the first of two contracts for East Shore Section 3 of the larger I-83 Harrisburg Capital Beltway Project, which is being built to surround the city's downtown.
It includes widening and reconstructing portions of the I-83 roadway, construction of overhead bridges at 29th and 19th streets, building the new Cameron Street interchange, removing the 13th Street interchange and roadway improvements along Swatara Township's Cameron Street, 19th Street and 29th Street corridors.
PennDOT said that there may be significant impacts to traffic during the life of this portion of the project, including traffic shifts, lane restrictions and road closures/detours.
New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co. Inc., located in New Enterprise, Pa., is the contractor on the $154.6 million road and bridge project.
All work on the East Shore Section 3 contract is expected to be completed by Oct. 12, 2027, according to the state transportation agency.
Beltway Needed to Handle Growing Traffic, Safety Concerns
The Harrisburg Capital Beltway encircles the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and its surrounding municipalities, including Swatara. The Beltway includes a section of not only I-81, but a portion of I-83 and Pennsylvania Highway 581 and is a limited-access facility.
PennDOT describes the Capital Beltway as "vital to the economy of the Harrisburg region and is an important hub in the transportation network of the northeastern United States."
The I-83 section of the Capital Beltway extends from a junction with I-81 northeast of Harrisburg to the interchange with Pa. 581 to the south of the city. An I-83 Master Plan was prepared by the PennDOT in 2003 for this section of the Capital Beltway to identify, plan and program future transportation improvement efforts.
The beltway includes five projects in the Harrisburg region: East Shore Section 1, East Shore Section 2, West Shore Section, East Shore Section 3 and the I-83 South Bridge.
The second East Shore Section 3 contract is expected to be under construction from later this year to 2028 and includes the widening and reconstruction of I-83, construction of the 13th Street bridge and approaches, the work to build the 17th Street interchange and a widening of 17th Street.
According to PennDOT, the I-83 Capital Beltway has three major issues that the construction efforts will address:
• Worsening roadway conditions. Most of the pavement in the I-83 corridor is more than 50 years old and has been repeatedly patched and overlaid while the base pavement continues to age;
• High traffic volumes and congestion, two problems that will only be compounded as the existing traffic and the predicted traffic to use I-83 in the future become more than the roadway can effectively carry; and
• Safety concerns, due to the fact that the interstate was designed decades ago and does not include the modern safety features needed for roadways that have many vehicles traveling at high speeds.
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