About The Master Plan
The I-83 Master Plan is a transportation planning study on the Interstate 83 corridor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The 18-month study focused on improvements in the section of I-83 from the New Cumberland Interchange (Exit 40B) to the junction with I-81 (Exit 51), a distance of approximately 11 miles. The existing roadway and interchanges were evaluated to identify deficiencies. Issues such as roadway capacity, safety characteristics and the expected life of the existing roadway pavement were analyzed. The deficiencies of the existing transportation system was summarized into a Project Needs Analysis.
Following the identification of project needs, a range of concepts was examined for the potential to alleviate traffic and transportation problems. The solutions considered included traditional techniques, such as physical improvements to the existing highway corridor. Other solutions that were evaluated included alternative techniques, such as increased reliance on public transportation, and other methods to consolidate commuter traffic and reduce the number of vehicles on the roadway.
The outcome of the I-83 Master Plan process was the identification and the prioritization of future projects in the I-83 corridor. For example, where indicated by traffic studies, the Master Plan was addressed the need to reconfigure and rehabilitate the existing interchanges and to widen identified sections of I-83. Individual engineering projects that are identified through this study can then be programmed through the Harrisburg Area Transportation Study (HATS). Through this process, these multiple projects within the I-83 Master Plan study corridor would be prioritized. All the projects that are identified may not proceed at the same time. As these projects are programmed and funded, they will follow the process of preliminary design, environmental clearance, final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction. That process will include a substantial amount of continued public involvement and municipal coordination.