As part of a decade-long effort to improve Interstate 83, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation engineers are looking at widening the highway to 12 lanes -- adding three in each direction -- between Paxton Street and Second Street.

PennDOT officials said the aim is to alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety on the Capital Beltway, which consists of portions of I-83, Interstate 81 and state Route 581 that encircle the city. But city engineer Wayne Martin said PennDOT’s traffic study is “fundamentally flawed.”

City officials confirmed PennDOT’s plans would focus on moving commuters in and out of the city. But they said they would prefer a system that encourages the use of mass transit and alternate methods of transportation to reduce traffic congestion.

“This project prioritizes car-based suburban growth over investments in the city and the inner-ring suburbs,” Martin said.

“Our street grid is not going to change, and there’s a limit to what we can change,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said. “We really can’t do much to handle this increased traffic, whereas if people were to carpool, take the bus, use other modes of transit, it would be a better plan. They are spending billions, with a b, of dollars on this plan; you would think if they invested in mass transit, it would be a better plan.”

Capital Area Transit Executive Director Richard Farr said he is unsure how PennDOT’s plan would affect CAT’s transportation routes or displace any bus stops.

“I am certainly about expanded transit service,” Farr said. “Any time that we can move people in an efficient way that’s not always a road expansion — not saying that we’re opposed to road expansion — should be taken into consideration. Walkable, livable communities are the ones that thrive.”

Eight construction contracts worth up to $700 million are anticipated to be awarded between 2022 and 2030 to widen and rebuild I-83 to the Susquehanna River, PennDOT reported.

Between 2022 and 2030, PennDOT expects to award eight construction contracts worth up to $700 million to widen and rebuild I-83 to the Susquehanna River. In addition, plans call for major improvements, for example: a new interchange with Cameron Street in Harrisburg, and the elimination of the 13th Street interchange and the Paxton Street interchange at 32nd Street.

Martin said the city opposes PennDOT’s plan for several reasons:

The cost to build and maintain six additional lanes will take away from other transportation improvements in the region

Local roads are more inclined to see increased traffic congestion through induced demand

Land taken for the extra lanes will be removed from the city’s tax rolls

The plan would divide city neighborhoods

It would add noise and air pollution and increase stormwater runoff and increase the frequency of flooding

It would encourage the use of single occupancy vehicles, resulting in less Investment in mass transit.

The city does support some aspects of PennDOT’s plan, including infrastructure and safety improvements and realigning Paxton Street, Martin said.

A new exit on Cameron Street, and removal of the 13th Street interchange would be good for “relieving congestion,” Papenfuse said. However, he emphasized, the city thinks PennDOT’s plans to widen I-83 is "creating a sort of ripple effect of issues.”

The plan was first introduced to the public in October. Martin said PennDOT discussed the project with city planners before then, but details like expanding a portion of I-83 to 12 lanes weren’t discussed.

“The City’s preferred alternative would be to reduce the total width of the proposed highway by reducing the total number of lanes and reducing the width of the shoulders,” Martin said. “There is absolutely no reason for the six-lane Collector Distributor System – it is a huge waste of money.”

The city's Public Works building on Paxton Street could be affected by the state's proposed I-83 widening project. It's one of a number of businesses and residences that could be displaced.

PennDOT is in the “preliminary engineering stage of design, including the environmental studies,” PennDOT spokesman Greg Penny said.

“The Burg” reported that as many as 28 residences and 20 businesses would be displaced by the project. Penny said the department doesn’t yet know how many properties would be affected.

“At this time, there are no lists of properties and, or property owners, that will be affected by the I-83 Section 3 widening and reconstruction project,” Penny said.

Martin said the city’s public works facility at 1820 Paxton St. would be affected.

The purpose of the project is to improve “traffic flow” and “safety around the city of Harrisburg” by providing upgraded transportation facilities, PennDOT engineers have said.

“Approximately half of the traffic using the I-83 corridor from the south [York area and West Shore] is exiting I-83 to head into Harrisburg, and approximately 40 percent of traffic from the north [Hershey and Lancaster areas] is local traffic exiting I-83 to head into Harrisburg,” according to PennDOT’s website. "This is a very large percentage of traffic that is considered local and not traveling from one end of I-83 to the other. The traffic model will be used as a foundation for the development and evaluation of project alternatives, which will address the regional and local project needs.”

The master plan, developed in 2003, came up with the concepts for improving the I-83 corridor around Harrisburg, Penny explained. Stormwater management facilities, possible retaining walls and also sound barriers still need to be taken into consideration, he added.

“Today, the concepts are essentially the same, with a few adjustments and refinements,” Penny continued. “The properties and the extent of the impact of the project will be identified during final design.

“We are working on completing our environmental studies and obtaining our environmental clearances so that we can proceed to final design,” Penny said.