In most major transportation projects, a key phase is to formally assess and document the project "needs." The “needs” are the problems or deficiencies in the existing system, and they are identified before alternative solutions are explored. Once alternatives are developed, they can be weighed against how they address those needs. Needs are developed based on an extensive amount of input, including traffic studies, public outreach, and land use planning information.
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In developing needs for the Southern Gateway Project, a number of issues are evident.

• The area (I-83 north to Walnut Street and between the Amtrak lines and the river) is a key gateway to the City. But, it isn't as well defined or visually pleasing as other gateways, such as the State Street, Market Street or Harvey Taylor bridges.
• There is traffic congestion, and that will only get worse.
• 
  Click here to enlargeTo and from I-83, there is only one way in (2nd Street) and one way out (Front Street).
• Many vehicles travel too fast or make hazardous maneuvers.
• The area lacks a typical city grid pattern for its streets, due in part to the termination of 3rd Street, and drivers have few road choices.
• The area is not very pedestrian-friendly.
• There is developable land and land (primarily surface parking) that could be put to a better or higher use.
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• The area has special problems, like the low railroad bridges that foil truck traffic, and the need to accommodate popular public events such as Kipona.

There are a wide variety of interests represented in this relatively small, but critical, City gateway.

• Drivers need to get to and through the area.
• People want to park, live, shop, work, walk, eat and visit attractions.
• Truckers need to make deliveries.
• Emergency personnel and vehicles need to respond quickly.
• Whether on foot or on wheels, everyone wants to move more safely.
• The City wants to promote economic development and visitor destinations, and its success has a positive impact on the entire region.
• Business owners and operators want to recruit and retain workers and to provide services to visitors, clients and customers.

Click here to enlargeNorth of Walnut Street, Harrisburg essentially is "built out," with a mixture of residential and commercial uses. But, in the project area there is vacant and underutilized land that could accommodate development - if there were changes in the transportation network.

While much has changed around the project area during the past several decades, the road system in the Southern Gateway has not. The local street system is virtually the same as it was in the 1960's, when I-83 was built, and it now represents a "roadblock" to achieving important goals.

Of particular interest in the area is the "gateway concept," an aesthetic presentation of the urban atmosphere to those entering Harrisburg and a point that symbolizes transition from suburbs and highway into the City. A good gateway gives motorists visual cues that they are in an urban environment and their driving should change to a city mode.

The public outreach process throughout the study is important to assess the project goals and to help identify alternatives that will meet people's needs - from the residents and commuters to the property owners. In this process, Pinnacle Health Systems, as the largest property holder, is an important, but not the only, stakeholder.

This project is complicated, and it is much more than simply designing a way to add traffic capacity or reduce traffic congestion.

Summary of Needs
Considering all of this information, the project team has established four formal transportation needs for the project as an important step toward identifying solutions:

1. The existing roadway system does not accommodate existing traffic volumes through, into and out of the southern part of Harrisburg and will exhibit severe congestion with failing levels of service in the future design year.
   
   This project would need to better accommodate the traffic volumes through, into and out of Harrisburg, providing a more efficient means to move more vehicles.
   
   The transportation system does not provide adequate access to existing and future recreational, residential, cultural, commercial, government, and service facilities.
2. Improving access is important not only to future development, but to the variety of destinations that exist in the City today.
   The existing roadway system does not provide optimal safety characteristics for motorists and pedestrians, who include residents, visitors and the area workforce.
3. Improving safety characteristics for motorists and pedestrians, while expediting emergency response times, are important safety components of this transportation project.
4. The existing transportation system does not adequately support existing and future local economic development initiatives.
   
   The area should be ideal for development, but the roadway system is a constraint.
   
   The transportation system and land use are inextricably related, and this transportation project must work in concert with urban development goals.