Use this map to report problems in York County – see posts below for stories on efforts to resolve issues

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Is “the strip” on Interstate 83 returning?

My colleague, Lauren Boyer, has written a post on the York Common Cents blog about “the strip” on Interstate 83.

A reader she met with a few weeks ago believes the road is cracking again about a year after it has been fixed.

Have you seen this on I-83?

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Maybe we should cry over spilt milk

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland have found that 360,000 tons of wasted milk in the UK have added 100,000 tons of CO2 gas into the atmosphere. That much CO2 is equivalent to the emissions of 20,000 cars.

Looking more broadly at food waste in the UK, the study published this month in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that people can alter their carbon footprint by changing how they eat.

The report also said halving the amount of chicken consumed in the UK and other developed countries to levels eaten in Japan could cut greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 10 million cars off the road.

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New traffic control technology could be coming for U.S. 15 in northern York County

U.S. Route 15 in northern York County could be getting some new technology that will help to reduce congestion and allow traffic to flow better on this busy highway.

It involves an optical reader that will read the traffic in real time and adjust the traffic signals accordingly.

“We don’t have that anywhere in the county,” said Beth Nidam, a senior transportation planner with the York County Planning Commission.

It’s called an adaptive control system, and it would be used along Route 15 in Dillsburg and Carroll Township.

The project is listed in the in the 2013-2016 Transportation Improvement Program, which is available for public comment this month.

Numerous other projects are proposed for Route 15, including resurfacing nine miles of the road from Golf Course Road to the Adams County line, installing mile markers to help with emergency response and preserving a bridge on the highway over the Yellow Breeches Creek.

What do you think of these proposed ideas?

 

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More InTown Motors, towing and what should be done

First off, read this latest installment in the on-going saga of InTown Motors and its towing practices.

Now, as the story notes, a woman celebrating her birthday left her car in the lot of Northwest Plaza overnight so she could have a few drinks without worrying about driving. She had permission and a permit she left on her car’s dashboard.

The car was towed and she got it back only after paying the $250 fee.

Long story short, she was refunded the money after InTown owner Tobin Johnston acknowledged his driver made a mistake.

Which is nice.

But over the years, I have documented numerous occasions in which people who had permission to be parked someplace were towed by InTown and could only get their cars back after paying what seem to be exorbitant fees. One case a couple of years back, a man who had drinks at a downtown tavern left his car there, taking a cab home after getting permission from the bar to leave his car in the lot, and he was towed.

In this case, I don’t know why the woman was given a refund when others in a similar situation have not.

Again, property owners who have InTown patrolling their lots should take a new look at the company and think about switching to another towing company. Other towing companies only tow vehicles after receiving complaints from property owners.

And again, it would be nice if the state Legislature would take a look at towing and do something about it. As it is, there is no regulation of towing and there should be.

 

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Single-lane Mill Creek Road bridge at the border of Manchester and Conewago townships on the list to be replaced


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One reader on SeeClickFix posted recently that a one-lane bridge on Mill Creek Road over the Little Conewago Creek needs to be replaced.

Well, it will be — just not real soon. The bridge on the border of Manchester and Conewago townships is listed on 2013-2016 Transportation Improvement Program. (In case you missed it, the York Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking input on the road and bridge projects planned for the next four years.)

Transportation planners will be working on the final design, utility and right-of-way work for the Mill Creek Road bridge in the coming four years, according to the report. Construction, however, will not occur until after 2016.

Crews keep monitoring the bridge, which is posted for 3 tons, said Steve Malesker,  senior project manager with C.S. Davidson Inc.

“It’s coming to the end of it’s useful life,” he said.

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Route 214 to close in Seven Valleys for repairs to old railroad bridge; damage was from a tractor-trailer striking it last fall

Route 214 in Seven Valleys will close May 7 so crews can make repairs to a railroad overpass that keeps getting hit by trucks.

One of the girders was severely damaged when a tractor-trailer hit the span on Nov. 11, said Steve Malesker, senior project manager with C.S. Davidson, Inc.

The bridge carries the Heritage Rail Trail County Park over Route 214.

Keystruct Construction of York is doing the work. It hopes to have the road reopened by May 12.

The state Department of Transportation plans to close the road in June for the replacement of a bridge over the south branch of the Codorus Creek.

“We’re hurrying up to get these repairs done so we don’t have a detour on top of a detour,” Malesker said.

The detour involves Yellow Church Road, Larue Road and Route 616.

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Traffic light at Route 30 and North Hills Road

There’s an interesting convergence of complaints about the light at Route 30 and North Hills Road.

One person posted a complaint that the left turn signal, turning westbound on 30 from northbound North Hills Road, is too short, only allowing two cars or so through before changing.

Another person posted a complaint that the light controlling southbound traffic on North Hills is too short and traffic crossing the highway is often held up because people making left turns westbound on 30 from northbound North Hills often run through the red light because that light is too short.

And in the mornings, to add another complaint, westbound traffic often snarled on 30 because the left-turn light onto North Hills is too short and traffic backs up there.

In other words, there appears to be some issues with the light at Route 30 and North Hills Road.

Springettsbury Township says it checked the light and everything’s hunky-dory. Check it out here.

Hope that helps.

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Is it time to test your water supply?

More than 3 million Pennsylvania residents rely on drilled wells, hand-dug wells, cisterns and even roadside springs for drinking water. Unlike most states in the country, Pennsylvania does not have statewide regulations governing private well location, testing and treatment, according to the Penn State Extension website.

If your drinking water begins as rain or snow and ends at the tap in your home, you can attend Penn State Extension’s water clinic at 1 p.m. or 6 p.m. on May 22 at the Carroll township building in Dillsburg to learn about testing resources available to you. Each session lasts two hours and you can choose which one best fits your schedule.

The cost of the program is $10. That includes tests for nitrates, pH, TDS plus total coliform and E. coli.

Space is limited to 50 water supplies. You can register online at http://agsci.psu.edu/safe-drinking-water/dillsburg or call 840-7408 for more information.

 

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Rabbittransit rider finds section of South Queen Street eliminated under proposed bus route changes; she’d have to walk up the hill to doctor’s office


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Longtime Rabbittransit rider Mary Swank called today because she’s concerned the bus will no longer service a whole section of South Queen Street if a lengthy list of proposed bus route changes are approved.

In case you missed it, Rabbittransit has proposed changes to all of the York fixed bus routes as well as fare increases for the next few years. The full list of changes can be found at www.rabbittransit.org.

Swank, who lives in York and does not drive, rides the bus to a doctor’s office on the Queen Street hill in Spring Garden Township. She pointed out that quite a few businesses exist in the area, including a strip mall, a pharmacy and the York Women’s Health Center.

Under the proposed changes, however, she’d have to walk up the Queen Street hill from one of the nearest stops — either East Cottage Place in York or the Queensgate Shopping Center in York Township.

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News release: View the York County Transportation Improvement Plan

News release today from the York County Planning Commission:

York County, Pennsylvania, May 1, 2012. Today and all during the month of May, the York County Planning Commission (YCPC) transportation staff will be seeking public input on the York Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (YAMPO) 2013-2016 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Air Quality Conformity Analysis (AQCA).

The TIP directly influences the transportation system of York County. The TIP will program where projected funding sources will be spent over the next 4 years. The funding is spent on projects such as bridge and highway maintenance, capacity, safety, transit and pedestrian improvements. The 2013-2016 TIP will address 41 structurally deficient bridges with rehabilitation and replacement projects, over 50 miles of road with resurfacing projects, and safety and congestion problems with projects such as the I-83 Exit 18 project and the purchasing of new transit buses. Approximately $138 million will be programmed on the 2013-2016 TIP.

Several events have been planned where the public will be able to review and comment on proposed road and bridge projects. The first event will occur on May 3, 2012 at the York Galleria Mall. There will be a booth located on the second level of the mall, near the Food Court.

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