Township Never Asked for Road

Proposal and Savings
Deny funding for the building of a new interchange near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The estimated project cost is between $8 and $10 million— 80 percent federally funded.

Background
First proposed in the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987, this new I-81 Interchange is touted by Rep. Bud Shuster (R-PA) as necessary to relieve traffic congestion on Route 30 and encourage development in Chambersburg. The proposal, also referred to as Exit 7, consists of an interchange with exit and entrance ramps.

Status
The favored site of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in Greene Township had to be revised due to the number of area sites eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Thus, PennDOT advocates using the area of Franklin Farm Lane as the location for the interchange. This route involves the construction of a costly new bridge and the demolition of the present one.

Problems with the Project

Taxpayer Concerns
According to the Harrisburg Patriot News, spokesperson Greg Penny of PennDOT "acknowledged the interchange wouldn’t be very high on PennDOT’s priority list if it wasn’t being . . . paid for by federal money. He said proponents of the project are over-emphasizing any potential relief it would give to traffic along Route 30."

Local Community Concerns
The construction of the proposed interchange and the traffic it would generate would damage nearby historic structures that are sensitive to dust, dirt, and vibrations. Of particular concern is the Gass House that is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and was the boyhood home of Sergeant Patrick Gass, the chief diarist for the Lewis and Clark expedition. Furthermore, Greene Township never requested the interchange.

Environmental Concerns
A major route would pass over the east branch tributary of one of the most impressive limestone trout streams in the eastern United States. This stream, known as Falling Spring, is used as a trout hatchery and is very sensitive to traffic pollution. The proposed interchange would result in the condemnation of prime farmland registered in two Agricultural Security Areas.

Contacts
Thomas Linzey, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, (717) 530-0931; Greene Township Board of Supervisors, (717) 263-9160.