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Thanks to a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), work on a 2-mile section of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail will begin in 2025.
Jon Fitzkee, senior transportation planner for the Lebanon County Municipal Planning Organization, announced the $750,000 award at Tuesday’s meeting of the MPO Technical Committee. DCNR notified the county of the award on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
The new section — Phase 10B — will run from Pine Tree Road in Union Township northward through the I-78 underpass to its endpoint at Lickdale Road. Completion of this section will close a “major gap” in the trail and provide access to Swatara State Park, according to the county’s application submitted to DCNR.
Read More: Lebanon Valley Rail Trail set for completion in 2027
Using the old railroad bed or the canal towpath, the trail will be in the floodplain along Swatara Creek and will be mainly crushed, compacted stone allowing for water filtration.
Besides the news on the DCNR award, updates on two bridge projects also were provided.
Emily Osilka with PennDOT District 8 reported the SR 72 bridge over the Swatara Creek will open to traffic by the end of the year. The almost $5-million bridge replacement project was to have been completed this month, but modifications to the detour route, drainage issues on Maple Avenue, and bald eagle monitoring delayed work, Osilka said.
County administrator Jamie Wolgemuth told the committee that the Red Rock bridge over Hammer Creek in Heidelberg Township also should be completed by the end of the year. The bridge is one of 14 owned by Lebanon County.
PennDOT records indicated the bridge over Michters Road was built in 1925. But contractors discovered a stone in one of the walls with an 1889 date, Wolgemuth said.
Osilka also provided updates on several projects currently in design. One of those addresses flooding on Lingle Avenue in South Londonderry Township. This project may include drainage improvements, stream relocation, and raising of the road. PennDOT’s project team will be meeting with the MPO and the township to discuss the improvements. The project has an estimated let date of calendar year 2027.
Also with an estimated let date of calendar year 2027 are safety improvements with a potential roundabout at the intersection of SR 343 and Kochenderfer/Kimmerlings roads. A design field view meeting will be held this fall or early winter, district press officer Dave Thompson said in an email.
Upgraded traffic signals on SR 72 at the intersections of Summit and York streets to improve traffic flow are planned. The preliminary engineering phase will start once the district gets a design supplement.
The next meeting of the LEBCO MPO Technical Committee is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in Room 207, Lebanon County Courthouse.
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