PennDOT seeks input on yearslong rehab project of Harrisburg’s Market Street Bridge

PennDOT is finalizing plans for a project that will improve safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on one of Harrisburg’s oldest bridges.

• Haley O'Brien/WITF
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  Haley O'Brien joined WITF in 2026. A native of Scranton, she enjoys exploring Pennsylvania's diverse communities. Haley previously worked at NPR/PBS stations in Northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and has won awards for video storytelling and beat reporting.

PennDOT is asking the public for feedback on a rehabilitation project that will take years to complete and impact thousands of drivers who cross the Market Street Bridge each day.  

The project is set to begin next year and continue through 2034 to make needed updates and improvements to the nearly 100-year-old bridge connecting Harrisburg and City Island with Lemoyne and Wormleysburg. 

Through Sept. 7, the public can provide feedback online or at an open house at the Harrisburg City Government Center on Aug. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. 

The Market Street Bridge was constructed in 1928.  

Currently, the bridge does not have shoulders or a bike lane, and the sidewalks are deteriorating. 

Dave Thompson, community relations coordinator for PennDOT district 8, says roughly 11,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day. The project will improve conditions for all travelers. 

“The sidewalk will be smoother. It’ll be wider,” he said. “It will be a great improvement for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.” 

Both the eastern and western bridge will still have four 10-foot lanes, but shoulders will be added. PennDOT plans to eliminate the sidewalk on one side of the bridge and widen it on the other. 

A utility bridge will be built parallel to the Market Street Bridge. 

“The reason we’re constructing the utility bridge is basically to help reduce the impacts to traffic during the construction,” Thompson said. “There’s a number of utilities that are located under the sidewalks on the Market Street bridge that are going to be relocated to this utility bridge and that will actually reduce the construction time significantly by around four years.” 

The utility bridge will also provide a 14-foot path for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

PennDOT first announced the rehabilitation project in 2021 and has already received input.  

Construction is expected to begin next summer and will cost an estimated $149 million.  

“We are doing everything in our power right now to minimize the impacts,” Thompson said. “We estimate the bridge is going to take about six years for this project… About four years of those will have some sort of traffic impact.” 

Plans for the project are available online and at the Harrisburg City Government Center.