Indiantown Gap National Cemetery is set to expand by 27 acres, in a project the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says will meet the growing needs of veterans and their families in south-central Pennsylvania.
The project, according to a release from the VA, will provide additional burial space lasting into the year 2038. Groundbreaking for the project, which is the fifth phase of expansion at the cemetery, will take place later this month.
According to chief communication officer Douglas A. Etter, the three-year project will develop 27 acres to make space for approximately 15,700 gravesites for casketed and cremated remains including 5,330 preplaced crypts, 598 traditional casket sites, 4,020 in-ground cremation sites, and a 6,000-niche columbarium.
The $38.6 million expansion will also include construction of a new honor guard building.
The 677-acre Indiantown Gap location was established as a national cemetery in 1976, with the first burial taking place there in 1982. Currently, the cemetery has 221 developed acres and is the final resting place for over 65,000 veterans and their family members.
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