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PennDOT has finished a traffic study at the request of Harrisburg officials to examine changing traffic flow along Second Street north of Forster Street. City officials will now investigate and gather public opinion to see if they can change the street from one-way northbound, to a two-way street.

HARRISBURG- After decades of resistance, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation gave the nod to Harrisburg to change a portion of North Second Street from a one-way street to a two-way street.

PennDOT officials recently sent a letter to Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse with results from a detailed traffic study, which state traffic engineers began last fall.

The study concluded that changing the one-way major arterial highway to two single lanes of opposing traffic is feasible, according to the letter written by Michael Keiser, a PennDOT executive, "but must be supported by a number of improvements on Second Street as well as other area roadways in order to safely accommodate redistributed traffic."

The portion of Second Street, from Forster to Division streets, has been carrying only northbound traffic for 50 years. That traffic pattern worked great for commuters, Papenfuse said.

But for the residents along North Second? Not so much, Papenfuse said.

The street functioned as a three-lane super-highway, cutting off the neighborhood from other neighborhoods and the Susquehanna River, he said. Many drivers treated it as a "drag strip."

The intense traffic discouraged single-family homes and walkability, trends Papenfuse hopes can be reversed if commuter traffic is diverted to Seventh Street, which is more industrial.

The city hosts about 67,000 commuters each business day, said City Engineer Wayne Martin.

Of the people who work in the city, 90 percent of them live outside of the city, Martin said, citing a 2011 study. Likewise, Martin said, about 70 percent of Harrisburg residents work outside the city.

The proposed change for North Second will slow down commuter traffic, Papenfuse and PennDOT officials agree.

"Motorists, especially outbound peak afternoon commuters will experience additional travel time delay," the letter from Keiser said. "The extent of this delay will ultimately be determined by the improvements made along the alternative routes."

Under the proposed change, some stoplights would need to be removed along Second, which could save the city money, Papenfuse said. Each stoplight costs the city $1,500 to $6,000 annually in electricity and maintenance.

PennDOT letter to Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse

But other improvements could carry a significant cost, including converting the two-lanes of Seventh Street north of Maclay Street to a single direction, northbound, and adding a lane, as recommended by PennDOT. The two northbound lanes would need to be extended to, and carried along Division Street to Second Street, PennDOT officials wrote in their letter to Papenfuse.

"It is particularly noteworthy that the intersection of Division Street and Seventh Street will need redesigned for access to the Uptown Plaza," the letter said.

Other changes would be required at intersections along Forster, including adding a southbound left-turn lane at Second and Forster and eliminating the eastbound left-hand turn from Forster to Second.

"Each intersection along Second Street will need to be analyzed individually," Keiser wrote in his letter.

It's unclear where the money would come from to make the conversion a reality. Papenfuse said the city could apply for grants and use some of the $10 million that PennDOT earmarked for roadway improvements in the city.

Although PennDOT has blessed the conversion of Second Street, it is not a done-deal, Papenfuse said. City officials must examine all the city's road structures and determine how the dramatic shift would affect other traffic patterns and fit into the city's comprehensive plan.

"I certainly support it," Papenfuse said. "This is the first step, for PennDOT to say, 'Yes. It's feasible.'"

If the city's investigation and public opinion support the conversion, and if the city can identify funding, Papenfuse said drivers could be heading southbound on Second Street by late next year.

Meanwhile, PennDOT's work to reduce a lane on Front Street and add a bike lane should begin in the spring. Papenfuse said he hoped a bike lane could be incorporated into the redesign of Second Street to complement the bike lane along Front.