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Thruway Project Slowly Moving Forward

Thruway Project Slowly Moving Forward - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 4:23PM EST

Shamokin Dam, Snyder County-
There appears to be new life for a major thruway project in central Pennsylvania.

The Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway Project was put on hold last summer due to a lack of available funding. Now state and federal officials say the ball is rolling once again.

And people we spoke with couldn’t be happier.

Seby Barnes, of Northumberland, said, “I live a half a block back on (Route) 147 and the traffic is just horrendous.”

Barnes has long dreamed of a bypass that would alleviate heavy traffic in Northumberland and Snyder counties.

The proposed Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway would allow highway traffic to avoid areas like Selinsgrove, Shamokin Dam, and Northumberland.

Government officials say the thruway would also be great for the economy.

U. S. Congressman Chris Carney explained, “This is an important piece of the north/south trade routes basically. So we’re making sure this stays front and center on their minds, and we’ll see this through to completion.”

Completing the project will cost more than $500 million. Officials are eyeing a number of available funding sources.

But the first step is to finish the design process. PennDOT is providing about $9 million to get that done.

In addition to providing economic benefits, the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project is expected to ease the aforementioned congestion along several busy local highways.

Governor Ed Rendell noted, “It’s also important to quality of life, it’s important to public safety. I’m convinced the current conditions are hazardous and potentially dangerous.”

Folks in central Pennsylvania agree. They say it’ll be worth the wait to see the thruway project finally get underway.

Barnes added, “I’m hoping that they stick with it. This has been delayed way too long.”

Officials tell us the design process will take about a year to complete. Their hope is that funding will be in place so construction can begin immediately after that.
 


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