I tell a dark joke that, one day, I’m going to meet my maker on Forster Street.
Only it’s not really a joke, since it’s almost happened several times.
I live on one side of the wide, six-plus-lane road and work on the other, so cross it several times a day. And, over the years, I’ve nearly been mowed down by speeding cars running the light, making illegal lefthand turns and turning directly into me in the crosswalk.
Well, I’m happy to report that my chances of buying the asphalt farm have decreased. Last month, the city finished up its reconstruction of the 100-block of Forster, narrowing and improving the safety of the state-owned road from the Taylor Bridge to 2nd Street.
It’s been a long time coming.
In the mid-1950s, the commonwealth plowed through a quaint, stable neighborhood to create what I’ve come to call, “The Grand Canyon of Harrisburg.” Turns out no one wanted to cross or live near the harsh urban highway dividing downtown from Midtown, blighting both neighborhoods.
The first hint of a turnaround came in 2020, when the city applied for—and then received—a federal transportation grant offsetting a chunk of the $1.7 million construction cost. It then took another four years to start the project and a fifth to wrap it up.
I’ll be honest—during that time, I wondered if the project would ever happen, considering it was supposed to begin in 2021. But, hey, what’s a few years in the world of major road projects in America?
Anyway, look at it now.
Two through lanes are gone, the road is narrower, the median wider and the pedestrian crossings restored. It’s altogether safer, more pedestrian-friendly and better integrated into the city around it.
If I had my druthers, I would have made a few additional changes. Vehicles still blow through the light coming off the bridge, so some kind of traffic-calming mechanism is needed. Also, I would have chosen to eliminate an eastbound lane, leaving in place the narrow median, to taper the street further and better join together the two parts of the divided city.
But maybe I quibble. All in all, the redesign is a major improvement, so kudos to the city, PennDOT and the Harrisburg Area Transportation Study, which selected the project for funding.
And now that I’ve buttered everyone up, it’s time for the big ask—“Please don’t stop now!”
The 100-block of Forster Street desperately needed improvement. It was ugly, dangerous and a 70-year-old dagger aimed straight into the heart of Harrisburg. The new road is a fitting start to what the city calls its “Capitol Gateway Project.”
But it’s only a beginning.
After the 100-block of Forster, comes, of course, the 200-block—the stretch of road from 2nd to 3rd streets—and it’s a disaster. This is the part of the street where my world almost goes dark, Tony Soprano-like, every few months.
The Capitol Gateway Project needs to be extended at least one more block. As it stands, the project is half-done, sort of like painting only half your house.
The good news is that this part should be much easier, and less expensive, than the first phase. There’s no need to account for the bridge or create new pedestrian intersections or extend the median, which is already wide enough there.
The 200-block of Forster can be made better and safer simply by eliminating two through lanes, one on each far side of the street, thus matching the 100-block. The sidewalk areas then could be extended out, the road narrowed, and green features/rain gardens installed where impermeable asphalt now exists. Importantly, this would help reintegrate the divided city, reversing the horrendous damage caused by the highway-happy 1950s.
This past May, I received a press release from PennDOT bragging about its road safety record. It stated that, in 2024, the number of people who lost their lives on Pennsylvania highways was the second lowest since record-keeping began in 1928. It further said that, between 2020 and 2024, about $591 million in federal highway funds were invested in 392 “unique safety projects.”
That’s great news—and I consider the Capitol Gateway Project to be among those “unique safety projects.” However, it’s also not done. It now needs a relatively small amount of money to extend one more block to deter accidents, help re-integrate the city and, on a purely selfish level, keep me from getting squished like a bug.
Harrisburg and PennDOT—you’ve done well. Now, please, finish the job.
Lawrance Binda is publisher and editor of TheBurg.
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