The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has authorized $2 million for a feasibility study on widening a stretch of I-81 from four lanes to six.
According to published reports, the proposed area of expansion is the stretch from the Maryland border to the Pennsylvania 581 interchange south of Harrisburg, and from the split with I-83 in Daughin County to the I-78 interchange in Lebanon County - 77 miles altogether. The interstate is already six lanes in between those two areas.
I-81 is the second-most heavily traveled Interstate on the East Coast, ranking behind I-95. Between 40,000 and 80,000 vehicles, more than a third of them tractor-trailers, travel the stretch between the Maryland border and Harrisburg, according to state Sen. Terry Punt, who has been pushing for the widening.
Punt said Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia are either studying or planning to widen their stretches of I-81. If this happens and Pennsylvania leaves its portion of the highway at four lanes, it will mean a bottleneck at the Pennsylvania border.
According to published reports, the proposed area of expansion is the stretch from the Maryland border to the Pennsylvania 581 interchange south of Harrisburg, and from the split with I-83 in Daughin County to the I-78 interchange in Lebanon County - 77 miles altogether. The interstate is already six lanes in between those two areas.
I-81 is the second-most heavily traveled Interstate on the East Coast, ranking behind I-95. Between 40,000 and 80,000 vehicles, more than a third of them tractor-trailers, travel the stretch between the Maryland border and Harrisburg, according to state Sen. Terry Punt, who has been pushing for the widening.
Punt said Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia are either studying or planning to widen their stretches of I-81. If this happens and Pennsylvania leaves its portion of the highway at four lanes, it will mean a bottleneck at the Pennsylvania border.
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