Traffic Control Update: Closure Planned for this Saturday Night on I-83 for 29th Street Bridge Demolition

Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reminding travelers that a closure is planned for this Saturday night, August 24, on Interstate 83 between Exit 44B (19th Street) and Exit 45 (Paxton Street/Bass Pro Drive) in the Harrisburg area so the 29th Street bridge spanning the interstate can be demolished. Traffic control plans related to reopening the interstate have been updated.

Weather permitting, lane restrictions are expected to be implemented in both directions of I-83 between Exit 44B (19th Street) and Exit 45 (Paxton Street/Bass Pro Drive).at 7:00 PM on Saturday, August 24. This will be followed by a full closure of the interstate in this area at 11:00 PM.

Southbound I-83 was previously expected to open to a single lane in each direction by 5:00 AM Sunday, August 25, with a full opening by 8:00 AM that morning. However, to ensure the safety of crews cleaning up debris from the bridge, the highway will now remain closed until it can be fully opened by 8:00 AM.

A detour will be in place during the closure:

• Southbound I-83 traffic will take Exit 45 (Paxton Street/Bass Pro Drive) to Paxton Street, then proceed west on Paxton Street to 17th Street and the ramp to southbound I-83.

• Northbound traffic will exit at 19th Street, then take 19th Street south to Paxton Street, then Paxton Street east to Eisenhower Boulevard north to the ramp to northbound I-83.

The 29th Street bridge is slated for replacement as part of East Shore Section 3 of the I-83 Capital Beltway Project. This work is associated with the first of two contracts for East Shore Section 3 of the larger I-83 Capital Beltway Project. This contract includes widening and reconstructing portions of the I-83 roadway, construction of overhead bridges at 29th Street and 19th Street, construction of the new Cameron Street Interchange, removing the 13th Street interchange, and roadway improvements along the Cameron Street, 19th Street and 29th Street corridors.

There may be significant impacts to traffic during the life of this project, including traffic shifts, lane restrictions and road closures/detours. Advance notice will be issued prior to any major traffic impacts.

New Enterprise Stone and Lime Company, Inc., of New Enterprise, PA, is the contractor on this $154,627,000 project.

All work on this contract is expected to be completed by October 12, 2027.

The second East Shore Section 3 contract is expected to be under construction from 2025 to 2028 and includes widening and reconstruction on I-83, construction of the 13th Street bridge and approaches, and construction of the 17th Street interchange and widening 17th Street.

For more information about the East Shore Section 3 and the I-83 Capital Beltway Project, go to I83 Capital Beltway- Home (i-83beltway.com).

The East Shore Section 3 construction contract map can be found here: SR0083-079-Dauphin-Construction-Sequence-Graphic-2-2023.pdf (i-83beltway.com).

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.​ 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following local alerts on X. ​