The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at 1 a.m. this morning closed southbound Interstate 83 in southern York County as a safety precaution due to a deteriorating drainage pipe undermining the pavement. The location of the closure is in Shrewsbury Township, about 1.2 miles north of the Maryland state line. A detour has been established to direct southbound traffic on I-83 off of the interstate at Exit 4, west onto Route 851, and then south on the Susquehanna Trail (State Route 3001) into Maryland and back onto southbound I-83. Between 19,000 and 20,000 vehicles travel on this portion of southbound I-83 on a daily basis.
Construction crews had limited southbound I-83 to a single lane on Friday evening so that repair work could begin to address the area where a dip in the road had developed this week. The right lane had subsided several inches within the past few days. Soon after beginning to excavate in the right lane, construction crews discovered a void under the pavement measuring about 13 inches deep and 8 feet wide and continuing under the left lane. They also noticed movement in the concrete slabs in the left lane, prompting the decision to close the left lane as well. Construction work will proceed to repair this portion of the highway and reopen it by the end of the weekend, if not sooner.
PennDOT advises motorists to be alert to this closure on southbound I-83, to be patient, and to follow the signs directing them along the detour.
Motorists can also monitor and check road conditions on I-83 and other interstate highways and major expressways by calling 511 or visiting www.511PA.com.
(Source: PennDOT)