$5.1 Million Transit Grant Will Help Revitalize Downtown Hershey

A new $5.1 million Federal Transit Administration grant will help revitalize downtown Hershey, giving residents of Dauphin, Lebanon and Cumberland counties better access to offices, shops, restaurants and Hershey Park. U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said as he announced the grant today.

“This is about more than buses. It is about using sound transit investment to redevelop entire communities,” said Secretary Mineta. “In towns and cities across America, transit is playing a key role in helping neighborhoods get on track with the growing economy.”

The Derry Township Industrial and Commercial Development Authority in Dauphin County will use a $3.2 million grant to support the construction of the downtown Hershey Intermodal Center, the first such facility in Hershey.

The facility is part of a larger plan to help revitalize downtown Hershey and is also intended to be a key regional transit center for the tri-county area of Dauphin, Lebanon and Cumberland. Benefits from the project include increased economic development around the facility; parking for commuters, shoppers and visitors; and easy access to offices, shops, restaurants and Hershey Park.

The new facility will be an open-air structure with passenger waiting areas that connect with a new three-level, 351-space parking structure via an elevated pedestrian bridge. Capital Area Transit (CAT), County of Lebanon Transit and Capitol Trailways will provide local and intercity bus service at the site. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2005 with completion planned for October 2006.

In addition, CAT will receive a $1.9 million grant to complete early planning and engineering for the proposed 40.5-mile CorridorONE project, which would provide rail service between East Mechanicsburg and Lancaster via Harrisburg. The project is intended to relieve congestion on existing Susquehanna River crossings and provide a transit link to Harrisburg International Airport.