Harrisburg could become a bigger rail hub in the coming years, and along with major upgrades planned for the Harrisburg Transportation Center will come improvements to that section of the city.

But most of those improvements will have to wait until some flooding concerns are taken care of. And those could be costly.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Leslie S. Richards announced today two studies that will lay out a road map for enhancements to the Harrisburg Transportation Center and the area adjacent to the station.

The Harrisburg Transportation Center and the area around it are the subject of a study by PennDOT and could be up for major upgrades soon.

The Harrisburg Transportation Center Transit Oriented Development Master Plan and the Paxton Creek Restoration Master Plan are both available on the Plan the Keystone website, and a public meeting is set for 4 p.m. March 22 at the train station to gather input on the studies.

"These two studies serve as a road map to help the city continue to develop as an attractive place to work and play," Richards said. "Our interest stems from our commitment to Governor Tom Wolf's vision of a government that works. We have worked hard to develop the Keystone passenger rail corridor and improving the Harrisburg Transportation Center and the surrounding area will help build ridership."

About 90 percent of the design of the $15 million station renovation is complete, and PennDOT is working with Amtrak on a construction schedule.

"These projects will provide exciting opportunities for development in the City of Harrisburg, and for enhancing the quality of life for our residents," said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse. "We look forward to continuing our close collaboration with PennDOT on projects that will benefit not only Harrisburg residents but the entire region."

PennDOT worked with the city, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority, Amtrak and Norfolk Southern and did public outreach for the study, showing the transportation center and adjacent area had the potential for a new transit-oriented, mixed-use development, which would help revitalize the city. It also calls for improvements to Market and Cameron streets and a direct connection between the station and the parking areas to the east of the station.

But before most of these improvements can be made, flooding concerns along Paxton Creek will have to be addressed.

Harrisburg and associated development authorities would have to either foot the $60 to $90 million bill or seek out funding for the Paxton Creek improvements, PennDOT says. But there is potential grant funding available from various sources, like the state Multimodal Fund and the departments of Community and Economic Development and Conservation and Natural Resources.

Flooding concerns came up during the initial transportation-center study, prompting a second study on Paxton Creek. It outlines steps to modify the channel size, taking 133 acres out of the flood plain and partially removing another 275 acres, making it more attractive to developers.

Another part of the plan creates recreational paths around the creek and restores much of it to a natural, inviting environment, according to PennDOT.

Improvements in the station and immediately around it can begin soon, but the rest of the project will have to wait until the creek improvements are made. That will take at least four or five years, according to PennDOT, and would involve field surveys, hydraulic analysis and various studies and permits.

But once that's done, PennDOT has big plans for the center. Some conceptual changes include: