HARRISBURG — Thursday night, major traffic changes are on the way for motorists traveling south on Interstate 83 in the area of Exit 50 (Route 22/Jonestown Road) in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The existing exit ramp from southbound I-83 to Route 22 will be permanently closed during the overnight hours from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., PennDOT says. During that time, a new off-ramp, located just to the right of the existing ramp, will open to traffic.
But the ramp will not be fully functional at this time for everyone headed to Route 22, PennDOT says. It will only serve motorists headed toward the City of Harrisburg on Route 22 West. The left turn onto Route 22 toward Colonial Park will not be available until later in the year.
Motorists headed to Route 22 East will be detoured south on I-83 to Exit 48 (Union Deposit Road), and then directed back to northbound I-83 to Exit 50 to access eastbound Route 22.
The temporary prohibition of the left-turn from the end of the southbound off-ramp from I-83 for eastbound Route 22 is necessary because of the difference in height between the new bridge and road under construction and the existing bridge and highway, PennDOT says. The left turn onto eastbound Route 22 will be restored when the rest of the road and bridge have been reconstructed and built to the height of the new elevation.
Closing the existing ramp is necessary so that the contractor for the bridge and interchange project at I-83 Exit 50 has the room to build the new ramp from westbound Route 22 to southbound I-83.
Looking ahead, the work to rebuild the interchange this year will continue to involve short-term ramp closures and detours as the contractor builds the new ramps for the I-83 Exit 50 interchange. PennDOT will announce each ramp closure and detour in advance.
This work is part of an overall construction contract to replace three bridges that cross over I-83 in Lower Paxton Township – Elmerton Avenue (State Route 3026), Route 22 (Jonestown Road) and Union Deposit Road (SR 3020). The Elmerton Avenue bridge was rebuilt in 2016. Construction of the Union Deposit Road bridge at I-83 Exit 48 wrapped up last fall. The Route 22 bridge at the I-83 Exit 50 interchange should be substantially complete by the end of this year.
All three new bridges will provide greater lateral under clearance to provide the width necessary to widen I-83 to six lanes. The I-83 widening project is currently scheduled to start late this year and finish in 2021.
PennDOT has contracted with New Enterprise Stone & Lime Company, Inc. of New Enterprise, Pennsylvania, to conduct the three bridge replacements at a cost of $34,199,999. The overall project with the three bridges is scheduled to wrap up in spring 2019.
