YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The weather is warming up and PennDOT is getting to work.
"We have another busy construction season planned for our district this year," said Kevin Keefe, PennDOT District 8 acting executive.
PennDOT's eyeing 113 projects in 2023; adding 186 miles of road, preserving or replacing 55 bridges and repairing 1,100 miles of cracked pavement.
It will cost more than $630 million, as supply chain concerns continue to delay projects and drive up the price of materials.
"The material concerns have risen," Keefe said. "We're seeing about a 20% to 15% increase in our projects pre-covid to what we're seeing right now."
PennDOT projects in York County are already taking shape. Officials said a new on-ramp to the northbound lanes of I-83 at exit 22 will give drivers more time to merge onto the busy highway.
"It will alleviate the congestion that might occur out on I-83 from people trying to pull out into traffic," Keefe said. "There will be an acceleration lane that will allow motorists to pick up speed and get onto I-83 safely."
The $12.4 million project will resurface a portion of the highway from the North George Street exit to the Locust Lane overpass, while adding traffic lights and sound barriers.
As more work gets underway, PennDOT is cautioning drivers, asking them to slow down in work zones and watch out for crews.
"That's all we ask. Everybody here wants to go home at the end of the day," Keefe said. "We have a lot of important people that have kids and everybody wants to see their moms and dads at the end of the day."
The project at exit 22 is expected to be finished this fall, as the larger North York I-83 expansion project ramps up.