U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced today that PennDOT will receive $500 million to pay for roughly half of the replacement of the I-83 bridge that spans the Susquehanna River near downtown Harrisburg.
The new structure will be wider, with better shoulders, improved on- and off-ramps and more streamlined interchanges. The grant is part of an announcement of more than $5 billion in Large Bridge Project awards through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) competitive Bridge Investment Program, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The grant will mean that $500 million in state fuel taxes can be directed to other PennDOT projects. Known as the South Bridge, the span was built in 1960 and widened in 1982. It handles 125,000 vehicles per day and links Pennsylvania’s Capital Region with Baltimore.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has been a strong advocate for the bridge since taking office, and the Pennsylvania congressional delegation has been instrumental as well. The federal grants will fund the reconstruction, repair, and restoration – using American-made materials – of 13 nationally significant bridges in 16 states that connect communities to jobs and resources, support the economy and serve as critical corridors for freight travel.
The new bridge will be constructed south of the existing bridge. For more information, follow this link.