Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Smooth Ride: Harrisburg’s Historic River Walk Set for Repaving

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Harrisburg’s crumbling river walk soon will be repaired.

Broken pavement, holes, dirt and weeds—a jog along Harrisburg’s historic river walk can be an exercise in trying not to trip and fall down.

That, however, will soon change, as the city learned today that it will receive a $1 million federal grant to repave the entire walk–11,000 linear feet–from Shipoke to Maclay Street.

Last year, the city applied for the Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant, designed to assist and promote non-motorized transportation. Today, PennDOT, which administers the U.S. Department of Transportation grant, announced $33 million in awards to fund 51 sidewalk, trail and other projects throughout the state, including the two-mile Harrisburg project, the only one funded in Dauphin County.

“This is a terrific means to encourage biking and walking,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “Right now, the walk is uneven and a hazard.”

Papenfuse said he expected work to take place during the course of the year, starting once the weather warms up. The project will be limited to the walk and the top step, he said.

Papenfuse said he hoped to identify additional funding for the remaining steps that lead down to the river, but that work is not part of this project.

The century-old river walk has been damaged repeatedly by floods and also has been a victim of neglect, with much of the original concrete patched haphazardly over many decades. Two years ago, the city used some of the federal money it received following the severe 2011 flood from Tropical Storm Lee to repair a section of the walk in Shipoke, which was the most severely deteriorated.

Papenfuse made the announcement following tonight’s brief City Council meeting. During that meeting, council unanimously approved a new, two-year contract with Local 521 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, which represents about 300 non-uniformed city workers. That contract provides for a 1 percent raise and a $1,000 bonus for all workers in both 2017 and 2018.

“We’re happy to be in a position to be able to offer these bonuses, which hasn’t been done in a long time,” said Papenfuse. “The bonus concept is good because it rewards our workers without a long-term pay obligation.”

 Author: Lawrance Binda

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