The tolls will likely increase after next year for two reasons: the recession and debt.
The 80-year-old bridge, which connected Fayette and Greene counties in western Pennsylvania, was considered to be one of the most structurally deficient in the state, according to the report.
You can read more about it here.
Or check out the Associated Press video by clicking here.
The closure is expected to start at 9 a.m., and it involves the stretch from Range End Road to the York/Adams county line.
Drivers can detour around this area by using Franklin Church Road, Old Route 15/Capitol Hill Road and Latimore Road.
Drivers can log onto 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions before heading out.
Beharry attends Orendorf Elementary School and won for grades one through three in District 8, which includes Adams and York counties.
The winning entries will be on display in the state Capitol from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4.
The theme this year was "The History of Flight."
A national transportation coalition, Transportation for America, thinks so. According to the coalition's Web site, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community in the past 15 years. More than 43,000 Americans - including 3,906 children under 16 - have been killed this decade alone, the Web site states.
"This is the equivalent of a jumbo jet going down roughly every month, yet it receives nothing like the kind of attention that would surely follow such a disaster," it says.
The coalition is urging to make streets safer, such as designing roads with pedestrians and bicyclists in mind, retrofitting the most dangerous roads and making neighborhoods walkable.
The coalition's study released rankings, and in Pennsylvania, the York-Hanover area ranked 8th for being dangerous for pedestrians. The area reported six pedestrian fatalities in 2007/2008, and it represented 5.6 percent of the traffic deaths. The average federal dollars spent per person on walking and biking in the York-Hanover area is $1.68.
Click here to go to the coalition's Web site.
What do you think?
]]>You can read more about it here.
]]>You can still get driver and vehicle products and services online here.
]]>But winter is coming soon, and the local maintenance crews are gearing up. For two weeks, the crews will be making final preparations, such as installing and calibrating the spreaders, hitching up the plows and performing dry runs on the designated routes.
So you won't be seeing much maintenance work on the roads for two weeks. Some will be done, but most will not require any lane closures, according to PennDOT.
]]>There had been talk of a strike during the World Series, but Gov. Ed Rendell had ordered the union and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to remain at the bargaining table or risk consequences, the Associated Press said.
The union went on strike around 3 a.m. Tuesday, just hours after people who had attended the baseball game used mass transit to return home.
You can read more about the strike here.
Did you use the buses, subway or trolley service to get to the game?
]]>Crews with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have installed salt spreaders on the trucks, which will continue in the coming weeks, said Steve Grassetti, York County maintenance manager.
Crews spread a little salt on Interstate 83 and Route 851 in the early morning hours of Oct. 18 when the Shrewsbury area received a dusting of snow, he said.
Some maintenance work will continue through the winter, weather-permitting, Grassetti said.
As for the coming week, drivers could see single-lane restrictions on I-83, Business 83 and Route 15. Crews will be flushing drains on I-83 between the Strinestown exit and the
Cumberland County Line.
They'll be mowing and cutting brush on Business 83 between I-83 and South George Street.
And they'll be patching potholes on Route 15 between the Adams and Cumberland county lines.
Two roads will be closed for pipe replacement: South Salem Church Road between Emig School and Ruppert roads in Dover Township; and Pinetown Road from Route 177 to
Roundtop Road in Warrington Township.
Drivers also could see single-lane restrictions on the following roads:
--- Tyler Run Road between Queen Street and Powder Mill Road in York Township for flushing.
--- Hollywood Drive from Springwood Road to Mount Rose Avenue in York and Spring Garden townships for flushing drains.
--- Druck Valley Road between Sherman and Tracy School roads in Springettsbury and Hellam townships for drainage repairs.
--- Goram Road between routes 74 and 425 in Chanceford and Lower Chanceford townships for oil and chipping the shoulder.
--- York Haven Road between York Haven and Newberrytown for pipe patching.
--- Route 425 between Posey and Shenks Ferry roads in Lower Chanceford and Chanceford townships for mowing and brush cutting.
--- Route 516 between Sticks Road in Codorus Township and Jefferson for mowing and brush cutting.
--- Route 116 between Grandview and Smith Station roads in Penn and Heidelberg townships for mowing and brush cutting.
--- Cassel Road in Newberry Township for paving and crack sealing.
--- Canal Road from Route 30 to Biesecker Road in Paradise and Dover townships for paving and crack sealing.
--- Bull Road from Greenbriar Road to Canal Road in several municipalities for paving and crack sealing.
--- Route 30 between Route 116 in West Manchester Township and the Adams County line for paving and crack sealing.
]]>The news came out today from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and other media outlets. A statewide grand jury is looking into patronage and possible "pay-to-play" contracts, the Tribune-Review is reporting on its Web site. You can read that story here.
And here's what the Associated Press is reporting today:
Pa. Turnpike says AG has subpoenaed its documents
By MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writers
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said Friday it was cooperating with a demand for documents by state prosecutors, but the subject of the investigation was not clear.
Turnpike spokesman Bill Capone said records had not yet been turned over.
"We can't provide you with any other details of when it came, or what it's about or anything like that," he said.
Kevin Harley, a spokesman for Attorney General Tom Corbett, declined comment.
Turnpike officials called the governor's office Friday to disclose the receipt of a subpoena, and aides informed Gov. Ed Rendell.
"I talked to the governor," he said, 'Well, certainly they need to comply and cooperate fully with the investigation,'" said Steve Crawford, Rendell's chief of staff.
The existence of the subpoena was first reported Friday by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Capone said he "did not know anything official" about reports that a grand jury was examining possible corruption at the agency, which has been criticized as a patronage haven.
In September, The Morning Call of Allentown reported that a former turnpike employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had been questioned by a grand jury about patronage, campaign donations and contracts.
Turnpike chief executive Joe Brimmeier declined to discuss the investigation.
"I am not commenting on anything regarding any of those things until everything is sorted out," he said.
Ferguson, who lives in Newberry Township, will lead a team of 1,112 employees who are responsible for maintenance, design and construction of all state-maintained roads and bridges in eight counties, including York and Adams, according to a news release.
Ferguson most recently served as director for construction and materials for PennDOT, where he was responsible for direction and administration of all highway and bridge construction among other duties.
He has worked for PennDOT for 19 years in a variety of capacities, including acting district executive for District 5 in Allentown from June 2007 until April 2008.
Ferguson has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering technology from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.
He succeeds R. Scott Christie, who was promoted earlier this year to deputy secretary for Highway Administration.
The Turnpike Commission denied that report to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette Wednesday.
"It never happened. The FBI did not visit any turnpike offices or confiscate any equipment belonging to the turnpike," Turnpike CEO Joe Brimmeier told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "(Toll Roads News) has a long history of sloppy or inaccurate reporting that reflects their efforts to malign the Pennsylvania Turnpike and its over 2,200 employees. Today they crossed the line between sloppy and reckless. The posting is false."
The FBI also said it never happened, according to the Allentown Morning Call.
John L. Micek, state house reporter for The (Allentown) Morning Call, reported on his blog later Wednesday that commission spokesman Bill Capone said the FBI is investigating what's going on with a Valley Forge widening project.
The commission then asked the FBI to come in and investigate after its own Office of Inspector General determined that the matter was too big for it to handle, Micek reported.
You can read more about it here.
]]>Click here to see the latest story from the Philadelphia Business Journal.
]]>Here's a schedule of the single-lane restrictions planned on the highway:
--- Flushing drains Monday on I-83 northbound between the Strinestown exit and mile marker 29.
--- Patching potholes between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday on the northbound side between the state line and Emigsville exit.
--- Patching potholes between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday on the southbound side between the North George Street exit and the state line.
--- Shoulder work Thursday on the northbound side at the Lewisberry Road exit.
Three roads also will be closed this week.
South Salem Church Road will be closed between Emig Road and Route 234 in Dover Township for pipe replacement.
Pinetown Road will be closed between Route 177 and Roundtop Road in Warrington Township for pipe replacement.
Red Lion Avenue will be closed between Felton Road and Forrest Lane in Felton and North Hopewell Township for a bridge wall replacement.
Drivers might see single-lane restrictions on the following roads:
--- Goram Road between routes 74 and 425 in Chanceford and Lower Chanceford townships for base repair and widening.
--- Pinetown Road between Route 177 and Siddonsburg Road in Warrington and Fairview townships for base repair and widening. This is scheduled for Monday.
--- New Bridgeville Road between Route 624 and Richmond Road in Lower Windsor Township for pipe replacement.
--- Dunkard Valley Road between Iron Stone Hill Road and the Susquehanna Trail in Springfield Township and Loganville for mowing and brush cutting.
--- Route 516 from Sticks Road in Codorus Township to Jefferson for mowing and brush cutting.
--- Route 116 from Grandview Road to Smith Station Road in Penn and Heidelberg townships for mowing and brush cutting.
--- Conewago Creek Road from Route 181 to Route 295 in East Manchester and Conewago townships for crack sealing.
--- Route 116 from Route 30 in West Manchester Township to Spring Grove for crack sealing.