See plans for proposed I-81 Exit 12 at Guilford Springs Road in Chambersburg

Chambersburg Public Opinion

Interstate 81 Exit 12 proposal at Guilford Springs Road, south of Chambersburg, from the I-81 point-of-access study in 2011

CHAMBERSBURG -- Plans for Interstate 81 Exit 12 will be displayed on Wednesday, Oct. 24, during an informal meeting at the Franklin County Career & Technology Center, 2643 Loop Road.

The I-81 exit on Guilford Springs Road would improve truck access to distribution warehouses south of Chambersburg. The farmland between U.S. 11 and I-81 also has been zoned for industrial use between Exit 10 and Exit 14.

"Big box" warehouses continue to be built in the area. Trucks access existing sites from Exit 14 at Wayne Road (Pa. 316). CSX has an intermodal transportation yard at 700 Kriner Road where trailers are loaded onto trucks from trains.

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More:Plan to widen I-81 is back on the road, but more traffic is ahead

Guilford Springs Road will be the site of Exit 12 on Interstate 81. The exit aims to give trucks easier access to logistic parks south of Chambersburg.

Officials in 2012 planned a phased construction of Exit 12 over a period of 20 years, but revenue from an increase in the state gas franchise tax sped up the project.

Construction, estimated to cost nearly $32 million, could begin as early as 2022. Rights of way and utility relocation are scheduled for 2021-2.

The display will show the location and configuration of the exit. Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will answer questions and take comments.

Properties in the area are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and PennDOT will offer information about the National Historic Preservation Act.

More:Plan paves way for new I-81 exit, better bridges and synchronized signals

Interstate 81 Exit 14 at Pa. 316 in Chambersburg (top) and a proposed Exit 12 at Guilford Springs Road in Guilford Township, as proposed in 2011.

Thirty years ago, Guildford Springs Road was a hot prospect for an I-81 interchange at Chambersburg. Eventually, the Walker Road area was chosen as the site for what is now Exit 17. A fight over the area’s historic landscape and protected farmland delayed the project. Exit 17 opened in 2005, 18 years after Congress designated money for the project.

A conceptual point of access study in 2012 indicated that the best site for an I-81 interchange south of Chambersburg is on Guilford Springs Road. The study chose building another exit rather than improving existing roadways, such as U.S. 11.

Erdman Anthony Associates of Mechanicsburg was hired in December 2014 at a cost of up to $4 million to do preliminary engineering, including environmental clearances and public involvement, for Exit 12.

Plans Display

Plans for Interstate 81 Exit 12 (Guilford Springs Road) will be displayed from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the Franklin County Career and Technology Center, 2463 Loop Road, Chambersburg.

The location is accessible to people with disabilities. Anyone needing special assistance can call Project Manager Doug Murphy at 717-783-3773.

Jim Hook, 717-262-4759