With spring just around the corner, PennDOT is gearing up several road construction projects in Lebanon County.
Members of the Technical Committee, Lebanon County Metropolitan Planning Organization, heard updates Tuesday, March 18, from PennDOT District 8 personnel on approved projects and those in design.
On June 5, the project to resurface state Route 72, or Quentin Road, from the county line to Rocherty Road is due to be let, said Emily Osilka with PennDOT District 8. Besides the resurfacing, PennDOT is adding a 175-foot right-turn lane at the entrance to Gretna Springs.
Total project cost is $7,150,000, with the project to run from late 2025 through the end of the 2027 construction season, said David Thompson, PennDOT District 8, in an email. The project will be paid for entirely with state funds, according to PennDOT documents.
Also on the calendar for this year is an installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Orange Street and Cornwall Road in Lebanon city. This project has an estimated let date of July 24 and an estimated cost of $300,000 to be paid with federal funds, Thompson said.
The let date for the replacement of the state Route 501 bridge over Tulpehocken Creek in Myerstown Borough was delayed from March 13 to April 10 after soil testing revealed contamination. The replacement will be completed during the 2025 construction season and will include minimal widening with 7-foot sidewalks on both sides, Thompson said.
Built in 1940, the state-owned bridge has an overall condition rating of a 4 on a scale of 1 to 9, according to PennDOT data. Once work begins, traffic will be detoured onto state Route 897, according to a PennDOT email.
In the works are improvements on Route 72 at the intersections of Summit Street and York Street in North Cornwall Township. The plan is to upgrade signals to improve timing, coordination and traffic flow.
PennDOT staff members are working through public comments on proposed safety improvements to the intersection of U.S. Route 422 and Prescott Road/Prescott Drive, Osilka said. Possible improvements include a traffic signal and geometry updates at the intersection. This project will be let in 2027.
Read More: PennDOT plans to improve intersection of Route 422 & Prescott Road, seeks input
Carey Mullins, transportation planning manager with PennDOT District 8, said the department has nominated the Wilhelm Avenue and Cornwall Road intersection for a national award in the Quality of Life/Community Development category in the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition.
“The project was commended statewide,” Mullins said. “It was a complex project requiring extensive cooperation and planning.”
Winners are announced throughout the summer.
Technical committee members also heard that the MPO has requested funding to support two special planning studies. They are:
- North 25th Street bridge feasibility study to determine if a new bridge structure along with a new small roadway connection would be possible to allow 25th Street to connect more directly to U.S. Route 422. Currently, the Lebanon Valley Rails Business Park has only one access that can support large commercial trucks, said Jon Fitzkee, senior transportation planner with the county, in an email.
- Route 72 and Cornwall Road corridor study to assess existing traffic conditions and to recommend improvements along the corridors. Commercial growth and development along both corridors have increased traffic pressures particularly on Cornwall Road but Route 72 also has access management challenges, Fitzkee said.
The MPO Technical Committee is next scheduled to meet at 9 a.m., Tuesday, May 20, in Room 207, Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon. Meetings are open to the public.
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