Heads up, Harrisburg commuters: PennDOT has announced that a section of I-83 will be closing for bridge demolition this weekend. According to PennDOT, beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, there will be lane restrictions on Interstate 83 from Exit 44B at 19th Street to Exit 45 near Paxton Street. Then, starting 11:00 p.m., there's going to be a full shutdown in both directions.
Originally, officials expected to partially reopen southbound lanes by early morning on Sunday. But the plan has changed, due to needing to protect the demolition crew's safety, the entire stretch will stay closed until 8:00 a.m. for a hoped full reopening. Detours will be posted: southbound drivers will be redirected via Exit 45 to Paxton Street, then to 17th Street, and finally, back onto I-83. Northbound travelers are set to exit at 19th Street, then navigate back to I-83 using Paxton Street and Eisenhower Boulevard.
This is all part of the large-scale I-83 Capital Beltway Project aimed at improving traffic flow and safety. The demolition of the 29th Street bridge is a piece of this puzzle. The work is associated with the first of two contracts that make up the East Shore Section 3, including roadway widening, constructing new bridges and interchanges. Notably, the 13th Street interchange will be removed altogether with added improvements along Cameron, 19th, and 29th streets.
PennDOT warns that this may not be the last of significant traffic shakeups, with more shifts, restrictions, and closures expected until the project's completion slated for October 2027. The contractor responsible for the work, New Enterprise Stone and Lime Company, Inc., won the project with a bid of $154,627,000. Looking ahead, the second contract focusing on further expansion and reconstruction is scheduled to run from 2025 to 2028, which includes projects like the construction of a new 13th Street bridge and widening 17th Street.
