DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa.– Warmer temperatures on Thursday, January 11 will give the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation the opportunity to paint new traffic lines on southbound Interstate 81 in the vicinity of Exit 72 for Mountain Road in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. The interchange is also known as the exit for Paxtonia and Linglestown. This portion of I-81 is still part of a construction zone, and the purpose of the line painting operation is to make the demarcation between the travel lanes clearer and more visible to motorists.
Ideally, the operation needs temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for the paint to adhere properly to the concrete pavement. This means that the operation will wait to get underway until temperatures rise above 40, most likely around mid-day or early afternoon. It may take two to three hours to complete the work. Southbound motorists should be alert to this slow moving operation and slow down when approaching and passing through the work area, for their safety as well as the safety of the work crews.
The portion of I-81 between Exit 72 and Exit 70 for Interstate 83 was widened to three lanes a little more than two months ago in a construction project that started in the fall of 2016. The project will be finished this spring after a diamond grinding operation that will smooth out the roughness of the concrete pavement. More durable pavement markings will then be applied to the roadway.
SOURCE: PennDOT
