TodayMeeting set on Carlisle Pike, Route 581 improvements
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Article RatingA proposal to complete a partial interchange on Route 581, add turning lanes and change traffic signal timing at 22 intersections bound by the Carlisle Pike, Route 15 and Wesley Drive, will be presented at a public meeting next week.
That meeting will follow an open-house format from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Hampden Township Emergency Services Building, 295 S. Sporting Hill Road. A formal presentation will be made at 6 p.m.
The plan is intended to address traffic circulation problems and safety concerns that exist at various intersections in the Camp Hill/Lower Allen/Shiremanstown/Hampden (CLASH) Circulation Study area.
Part of the proposal includes adding an eastbound exit ramp and westbound entrance ramp at the existing Route 581 and Trindle Road/Central Boulevard interchange in Hampden Township.
The study began in April 2007 and is a collaborative effort of the municipalities and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.
McCormick Taylor of Harrisburg was named engineering consultant to analyze existing traffic circulation patterns and generators to develop solutions to the transportation needs for the years 2020 and 2030.
“We collected several pieces of information, including traffic counts at intersections, employment data, truck travel patterns and potential development information within the area,” said project manager Brian St. John. “We conducted a truck following study as well as ZIP code matching for employees working within the study area.”
After assembling that information, he explained, transportation engineers and environmental scientists began conducting analysis to determine appropriate improvements, based on environmental concerns, traffic congestion and future travel patterns.
This phase will be completed following public input on problem areas and potential concepts for improvements.
The engineer will then develop a final report which will prioritize projects in an effort to obtain state and federal funding.
“The purpose of this study is to establish some priority within the corridors,” said St. John, adding that none of the projects have funding identified at this time.
“We are not sure of the final configuration of any of the improvements,” he said. “They will each go through their own preliminary engineering, final design and approval process.”
The initial study is expected to be completed by April.
