Central Pa. airports, railroads get state funding

Two airports and three rail projects in Central Pennsylvania are going to receive state funding.

York Airport in the Thomasville area of Jackson Township, York County, and Donegal Springs Airpark in the Marietta area of East Donegal Township, Lancaster County, are among 20 airports to split $3.4 million from PennDOT’s aviation development program, according to a news release.

York will receive $450,000 to design and rehabilitate the runway. Donegal Springs will receive $90,000 to remove obstructions.

Projects at Gettysburg & Northern Railroad Co. in Adams County, Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad in Dauphin County and the Franklin County General Authority are three of 39 to share $35.9 million in state funding through Act 89, as approved last week by the State Transportation Commission, according to a separate news release.

Gettysburg & Northern Railroad will receive $199,528 to install 1,600 ties on 4 miles of track with related hardware. Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad will receive $203,000 to upgrade 300 feet of track and install a turnout and a track greaser to decrease friction on a curve. Franklin County General Authority will receive $656,320 to improve track in the Cumberland Valley Business Park and the Letterkenny Army Depot.

The airport funding comes from the state’s jet fuel tax and leverages $1.5 million in local matching funds, according to a news release from Gov. Tom Corbett’s office. The program complements the new Multimodal Fund, created by Act 89, which dedicates $6 million to aviation in this fiscal year. The rail funding comes from the Rail Freight Assistance Program, which is underwritten by the Multimodal Fund, according to a separate news release from the governor.

Corbett signed Act 89 in November. The funding package is to infuse the state’s transportation system with between $2.3 billion and $2.4 billion.

Source: Central Penn Business Journal