YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Busy days on the roadways are putting homes on the chopping block in York County. Renderings from PennDOT lay out the plans for I-83's Market Street Exit.
PennDOT said more lanes on the highway, a new on-ramp for the north bound lanes and wider off-ramps will help traffic flow.
North Hills Road, connecting I-83 to Route 30 in Springettsbury Township, will also see an expansion, one that will snatch-up dozens of properties. That includes the home Stephen Hamme has rented since 2012.
"According to the drawing that they sent out, there's going to be a sound wall here," Hamme said. "If there's a sound wall, there's no way to get in and out of the houses. So, they've got to take them."
PennDOT said it notified 31 property owners on Feb.16 that all or part of their property would be taken for the project.
A PennDOT spokesperson said:
"Residential driveways create a safety concern on this type of roadway because residential vehicles either back into or out of the drives. Relocating these residences to eliminate residential driveways will improve safety for the owners and the traveling public."
Though he'll soon be forced out, Hamme still feels the project is necessary.
"All of this was designed in the 1950's and it was designed with 1950's traffic in mind," Hamme said. "It just means I've got to find another place to live here soon."
The plan also includes the relocation of at least three businesses, including North Hills Auto Sales and the building that houses Rumor's Salon.
Though renderings show the Rutter's gas station on North Hill's Road moving to the opposite side of the street, PennDOT said it is still evaluating design options that impact the Rutter's property.
"You buy land and now you've got to move because they want it," added Pablo Torres, a Vietnam veteran living on North Hills Road. "Before, they come over here and they take what wasn't theirs. They haven't lost their touch, they're still doing it."
Torres said he purchased this home about a decade ago. He's upset the planned expansion is taking his home away, telling FOX43 he's not eager to leave.
"After all these years and I've got all these kids, I don't know," Torres said. "It's up to them where they're going to put me."
PennDOT said it will "provide just compensation" to property owners. It expects to begin construction on Exit 19 in 2026, but did not say when the homes would be leveled to make way for the upgrades.