Lemoyne, Pa. - PennDOT has a new plan to increase safety along Interstate 83 in York and Cumberland counties. The department will close a northbound on-ramp in Lemoyne where vehicles enter the highway at the York split.

Last July, a crash involving ten vehicles in that area killed an Etters woman. It happened when a truck driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into stopped traffic.

New Cumberland resident William Polito knows all about the daily grinding halt at the York split, which happens most often during the morning commute.

"It's pretty bad," he said. "You're usually sitting in line, people cutting in line because it's backed up and they don't want to wait."

Dave Stiles of Lemoyne waits in his work truck at the Brandt Avenue on-ramp. He uses it every day to get to Route 581.

"Sometimes I sit there six, seven minutes until I can get out to the far lanes," he said.

By the end of the month, newly installed gates on the sides of the ramp will close. Only police, medics, and firefighters will be able to get through. PennDOT said the idea to shut down the ramp was a result of that deadly pile-up last summer.

"The state police thought that was a major contributor to traffic backing up and we agreed with them," said PennDOT spokesperson Greg Penny.

Stiles agreed with the decision, even if it means a slight detour for his morning commute.

"That's an accident prone area to begin with, so I actually think it's pretty good that they're shutting it down," he said.

Crews are also going to put up more signs to warn drivers about stopped traffic before they approach bumper to bumper conditions. There may be less of it, according to PennDOT, after the ramp is closed.

"What this does is really respond to the frustration that people expressed and their concern for safety to get traffic to move or flow better through the area and it should make for a safer situation," Penny said.

Some drivers aren't convinced it will help traffic flow. They had another idea. "You're going to have congestion either way you look at it until you break it down into three lanes," Polito said.

PennDOT said adding an extra lane could cost tens of millions of dollars. The project wouldn't be eligible for infrastructure improvement stimulus money because it's not 'shovel ready' and would require an extensive planning process.

 

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