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November 30, 2000

PA TURNPIKE HOLDS MEETINGS IN MIDDLETOWN AND BRISTOL:
Seeks Public Opinion on Turnpike/I-95 Interchange Project

PHILADELPHIA, PA- - The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will hold "town hall" public meetings in Middletown and Bristol Townships to review and discuss the most up-to-date information available on the Pennsylvania Turnpike/I-95 Interchange Project.

The meetings will take place on Wednesday, December 6, 2000 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Middletown Township municipal building, 2140 Trenton Road in Levittown and Wednesday, December 13, 2000 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Bristol Township municipal building, 2501 Bath Road in Bristol.

"The town hall meetings are being arranged to provide an open forum on the project's current design alternatives and related environmental studies," stated Jay Roth of KCI Technologies, the lead engineering consultant for the Turnpike/I-95 Interchange Project. "We will make a short presentation and then answer project-specific questions." The public will be encouraged to complete a questionnaire and to review displays on the project's designs, noise and air quality analyses, and local roadway improvements.

The main objectives for the Turnpike/I-95 Interchange Project are to construct a direct connection between two interstate highways and to complete the "missing link" of Interstate 95 from Maine to Florida. Making this connection requires a new I-95 interchange and an additional bridge over the Delaware River. A new toll plaza for all travel lanes on the mainline Turnpike will also be needed.

The Turnpike Commission wants to assess public opinion in Middletown and Bristol Townships before it releases the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) early next year. The DEIS documents the project’s design alternatives and their potential impacts on the environment and surrounding communities. When the DEIS is publicized, interested citizens will have an opportunity to submit written comments on the project. The Turnpike Commission will also host a DEIS public hearing in late Spring 2001.

In June 2000, the Turnpike Commission hosted a similar meeting in Bensalem to solicit public opinion about the project's toll plaza alternatives. As a result, township officials expressed a preference for the Modified Toll Plaza West alternative, because it impacts less homes and businesses than the other toll plaza alternative under consideration.

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 P.O. Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676         Phone: (717) 939-9551         Fax: (717) 986-9649