Bridges into Harrisburg

Hello out there - I%26#39;m bridge-phobic! Can anyone tell me the route with the least scary bridge to cross coming into Harrisburg from the west? I%26#39;ll be coming up I-83 or I-81 from Maryland.

Thanks,

Scare-D-Cat

Bridges into Harrisburg

I81 is actually the bridge over the Susquehanna. Don%26#39;t like bridges myself and this is perfect. You don%26#39;t even notice it hardly...it doesn%26#39;t go way up with tons of metal or anything. Just sort of goes with the flow of the rest of the interstate.

Harrisburg is a great place. If you look out over the Susquehana at sunset you%26#39;ll get a beautiful view.

Bridges into Harrisburg

...don%26#39;t look while you%26#39;re driving though. wait till you get to the other side and touch that land:)

Both I83 and I81 go over the Susquehanna River. I81 is actually a little longer, both are busy highways. Not much difference in heights. What part of Maryland are you coming from and where are you going? It might be easier to advise with the additional info since the bridges aren%26#39;t much different.

Both I-81 and I-83 will take you over the river. This question stirred up quite a debate between my husband and I! Neither bridge is at all scary, so go with the one that best fits your route. (Our scariness rating: You don%26#39;t get the feeling of going way up in the air, you don%26#39;t feel like you%26#39;re close to the edge, it%26#39;s not very long, and there aren%26#39;t open grates.) If you are coming from the Baltimore area and headed to the Hershey/Lancaster area, I-83 is the best. It is four lanes in each direction over the river, so you don%26#39;t get that edge feeling. However, there are exits right off the bridge, so there is a bit of merging and congestion.

If you are coming from Hagerstown or points west, I-81 is the way to go...be aware that it gets lots of truck traffic, moreso I think than I-83, which is more a commuter route. I dislike I-81 through Chambersburg and Carlisle, and I generally avoid it. But the bridge area is not so bad.

Just in case you veer from the charted path, AVOID Rt 34 over the Juniata in Newport. Just trust me! :)

Another option would be to take I 83 North and get on the PA Turnpike at New Cumberland, head east and cross the river on the brand new turnpike bridge - very wide, not scary. Get off the turnpike at the Harrisburg East exit, proceed straight through the toll booth and take Route 283 North to return back to I 83 North.

If you%26#39;re bridge-phobic I%26#39;d stay away from the 81 bridge. There is a ton of tractor trailer traffic on 81 and they definitely do not go the speed limit. I%26#39;m not sure if they%26#39;re currently doing work on the bridge or not as I avoid it as much as possible. But if they are working on the bridge it makes the truck traffic much worse.

I say go either 83 or the turnpike bridge both have wide lanes and are nicer to drive on.