A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 27, 1993
Traffic Changes To Improve
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Driving here this summer
and fall 10 the state Farm Show
Complex and the state Department
of Agriculture building may pose
some inconvenience because of
scheduled road constructions.
The road work is to eventually
improve traffic flow in the regular
ly heavily congested area that
includes Cameron Street, Elmcr
ton Avenue, Wildwood Park
Drive, the access road to Harris
burg Stale Hospital, and HACC
Drive.
The road work, which began last
week, should continue through
mid-August, according to Gregory
Penny, spokesman for PcnnDOT
Distrcil 8.
In a news release, it was
announced that, “Motorists are
advised that most of the work on
Cameron Street will take place at
night, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.,
and should not interfere with daily
traffic patterns especially the
morning and evening rush hours.
“Construction work on Elmer
ton Avenue may involve restrict
ing traffic lanes during the day.
Motorists who use these roads
should allow additional time in
their travel plans to avoid any
delays (sic).”
In a telephone interview, Penny
also said that, immediately follow
ing the completion of work on
those streets and intersections,
other work is to begin on the
Maclay Street railroad bridge, just
cast of the mam office entrance ol
the Farm Show Complex.
The latter work should be in
progress during the fall dairy and
livestock shows. However, exhibi
tors and visitors who travel 181 to
the Farm Show Complex should
not experience any difficulty with
access, and should be among the
first to enjoy any traffic flow
improvements from 181 onto
Cameron, and to the Farm Show
Complex.
The work planned by the Pen
nsylvania Department of Trans
portation (PennDOT) is unique in
that it is being mutually financially
supported by all major agencies or
institutions that are to benefit from
the new traffic flow patterns.
The summer projects are con
tracted with Adams County
Asphalt Company, of Harrisburg,
at a cost of $1,693,567. Federal
funds are to be used to pay for 75
percent of the project, while vari
ous state and local funds are com
mitted to cover the remaining
amount.
Those agencies and institutions
also contributing to the cost of road
rcnnovations include the Harris
burg Area Community College
(HACC), the state Department of
Agriculture, the state Department
of Public Welfare, the Governor’s
Office of Administration, and Sus
quehanna Township.
According to Penny, even
though the different agencies of
government all receive lax dollars
to use, this roadworks project rep
resents one of the most cooperative
spending ventures for mutual ben
efit by state and local agencies.
The project was started several
years ago by a group of state agen
cy people (including some who
now work in other areas of govern
ment) who initiated efforts to seek
a solution to the growing traffic
problems in the vicinity.
Traffic flow in the area had been
a concern for at least a decade.
A major problem has been the
almost traditional long lines of
traffic on Cameron Street, Maclay
Street, and on the off-ramp from
181 onto Cameron Su, caused by
the annual state Farm Show.
Traffic is also intermittently
heavy year-round because of regu
larly scheduled professional soc
cer games, major auto shows,
international livestock shows,
national dairy shows, sportsman
shows, building shows, horse
shows, and other annual events.
The traffic situation is also
aggravated by the fact that public
entrances to the slate Farm Show
building and the state Department
of Agriculture headquarters on are
on opposite sides of the same
stretch of Cameron Street.
Furthermore, the entrance to the
Harrisburg State Hospital is imme
diately adjacent to the agriculture
building parking lot; the entrance
to the Harrisburg Area Community
College is adjacent to the stale
Farm Show Complex parking lot,
along Wildwood Park Drive; and
the slate Game Commission and
Pennsylvania State Police head
quarters arc located along Elmcr
ton Avenue, which is really a sister
road to Wildwood Park Drive.
Not only do the roadways in this
area attract a lot of traffic because
of the various agency headquar
ters, the college, hospital and the
large public events complex, but
other local traffic patterns add to
Phila Rep Wants More Benefits For Farmworkers
(Continued from Page A 1)
lion, which would drastically
change the scope of benefits
afforded seasonal farm workers,
irrespective of citizenship or legal
residence.
Although the Pennsylvania
mushroom industry, located heavi
ly in southeastern Pennsylvania,
was cited as being among the types
of industries targeted by suppor
ters, the implications of the total
package are yet to be completely
analyzed objectively.
In part, the package would eli
minate distinctions between types
of farm labor, with respect to
longevity of employment: provide
minimum wage protection, except
for those living close to and work
ing for small farms; extend child
labor law protections to the child
ren of farmworkers; allow farm
workers the right to organize and
collectively bargain; and provide
protections under the Pennsylvani
a Human Relations Act, which
would stipulate certain living con
ditions at farm labor camps; charge
the state Human Relations Com
mission with the duty to investi-
Snyder Establishes Award
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) J. Roy Snyder recently
committed $lO,OOO to benefit stu
dents in the College of Agricultur
al Sciences at Penn State.
Snyder, who received an asso-
Establishes Ag Scholarship
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Henry F. Pierce, 11, a 1943
Penn Slate graduate, has commit
ted $25,000 to Penn State to estab
lish the Henry F. Pierce, 11, Scho
larship in Agricultural Sciences.
The scholarship will provide
recognition and financial assis
tance to undergraduate students
enrolled in the College of Agricul
tural Sciences who have shown
marked academic improvement
during their third or fourth
semesters.
Farm
the problem
Commuting Harrisburg city
workers and others traveling
through the capitol city use Came
ron Street during the morning and
evening rush hours as access to and
from 181, Routes 322 and 11-15,
and Front Street.
And, for the past several years,
there has been an ongoing dispute
between local municipal officials
and the slate over requests for
trail ic control during rush hour.
The heart of that controversy
has been over which government
should be responsible for paying
for the police force necessary to
control city traffic on stale roads,
etc.
For years, city police would
direct traffic at the exit of the state
agriculture building parking lot, so
that workers could safely go home
during the evening rush.
The need for regular local police
to control traffic should be almost
eliminated by the changes.
The plans include the creation of
a new intersection with a traffic
light and extra turning lanes
between the agriculture building
and the Farm Show building; the
widening, addition of lanes, and
upgrading of control lights at the
Wildwood-Elmerton and Came
ron Street intersection; and the
widening and addition of lanes at
gate and rule on discrimination
complaints by farmworkers; man
date that migrant farmworkers be
guaranteed wages paid for three
quarters of the money they would
have made, if they arrive at a farm
and the expected crop can not be
harvested; provide guaranteed
wages if employment is termi
nated, unless fired for good cause
(reasons must be written down and
records kept for three years); man
date that farm owners would be
responsible for paying all payroll
taxes and deductions for migrant
workers: pay overtime on the same
basis as covered under the Mini
mum Wage Act; provide minimum
wages; and keep and maintain a
number of records on the workers
for three years; and a number of
other changes which make it the
responsibility of the farm owner,
and in some cases, the employer to
make sure that benefits and records
are kept on each worker, extend
the scope and authority of the
existing Farm Labor Committee;
and mandate that data be collected
on the injuries and illnesses of
farmworkers living in farm labor
date degree in agricultural busi
ness at Penn State in 1916, created
this award in honor of his son,
grandson, and granddaughter-in
law, all of whom graduated from
Penn State.
The college’s scholarship com
mittee, along with recommenda
tions of academic advisers for the
College of Agricultural Sciences,
will select a number of recipients
each year and determine the
amount awarded to each. Students
who remain eligible may receive
the scholarship more than once.
Before his retirement. Pierce
was the president of BFC Chemi
cal Company in Wilmington, Del.
Show, Ag Dept. Access
the Cameron Street and Maclay
Street intersection.
As Cameron Street currently
exists, it is a two-way, four-lane
highway with no turning-only
lane. Turning into the Farm Show
parking lot from the northbound
lane of Cameron Street currently
requires lying up the left lane,
which restricts through traffic to a
single lane.
The intersection in front ol the
agriculture building is to be
created by rerouting the Harris
burg Slate Hospital Road through
the ag building’s parking lot to a
point opposite the main public
entrance-exit for the Farm Show
Complex. A limited amount of
agriculture department parking
space is to be lost.
At the proposed intersection,
north-travelling traffic on Came
ron Street will have one left-tum
only lane into the Farm Show park
ing area, and two other lanes for
ongoing or right-turning traffic.
South-bound Cameron Street
traffic will have a right lane yield
ing turn into the Farm Show park
ing lot, two through-traffic lanes,
and one lefl-lum-only lane.
Also, the new traffic-light
intersection is to have pedestrian
crosswalks.
As it is now, pedestrian traffic
across Cameron Street between the
Farm Show and the ag building is
camps.
Cohen initially announced the
package late last week during a
press conference in the Main Capi
tol building rotunda, after news
paper deadline.
Though no farmworkers issued
support for these changes to the
law, there are several organiza
tions which have expressed sup
port for Cohen’s proposal.
Those organizations include the
Pennsylvania Council of Chur
ches, Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania
Catholic Council, the New Jersey
based Comite De Aproyo a los
Trabajadores Agricolas/
Farmworkers Support Committee,
the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, the
Harrisburg Area NAACP, and the
Association of Mexico.
The involvement of the church
groups centers on their religious
programs for migrant or seasonal
farm workers, according to
Cohen’s assistant Cassidy.
According to Cassidy, Cohen
has, in the past, been involved on
committees that looked into labor
issues, including some farmwork
ers. Cassidy said there are some
day haulers who live within
Cohen’s 202nd District, though
they have not formed any rep
resentative group on their own.
No farmworkers spoke on
behalf of the proposed legislation.
To date, the main opposition has
been the Pennsylvania Farmers’
Association. According to PFA
President Keith Eckel, Cohen’s
legislation is misdirected, danger
ous for Pennsylvania agriculture,
and redundant.
Although it would seem to have
an effect, no one has yet addressed
MILK.
ITDOESA
BODYGOOD.
officially restricted to an under
pass walkway, which is to remain.
At the north end of the Farm
Show parking lot, the changes arc
to provide dual, left-turn lanes on
southbound Cameron Street for
access to easlbound Glmerton
Avenue, and dual left-turning
lanes on northbound Cameron for
access to westbound Wildwood
Park Drive.
Elmerton Avenue, along which
are the Game Commission and
State Police headquarters, is to be
widened to provide three lanes the
full distance from Cameron Street
to Crooked Hill Road. The three
lanes will consist of twoeastbound
and one westbound lane.
Westbound Wildwood Park
Drive is to be widened to two nght
luming lanes into HACC Drive.
Northbound HACC Drive is to
be widened to two lanes for its
length to the driveway entrance of
the Pennsylvania Stale Employees
Credit Union building.
The initial work begun last week
was to widen Cameron Street and
Elmerton Avenue.
Officials warn that Elmerton
Avenue may be restricted to one
lane during the day.
No daytime restrictions are anti
cipated for through-traffic on
Cameron Street. After 6 p.m. and
prior to 6 a.m., however, it may be
restricted to one lane.
the possible conflicts these
changes may have with ongoing
NAFTA negotiations. Creating
higher standards for labor compen
sation could possibly create prob
lems with ongoing side negotia
tions with Mexico over labor and
environmental issues as they per
tain to establishing a first-ever
North American Free Trade
Agreement.
Labor issues are being nego
tiated with NAFTA because of
concerns that Mexico’s low work
er protection and wages would
allow agricultural businesses to
move there and compete unfairly
with local farm labor jobs, and
further destroy the existing state
lax base, since overhead costs of
production in Mexico would be
substantially lower.
In his remarks, Cohen said of his
proposal, “The basis for the
amendments which I am proposing
today, is to bring farm workers
closer to first-class citizenship,
enjoying the same protections of
law as other citizens.”
In his opposition, Eickel said,
“Based on what Rep. Cohen said at
his news conference, the three
proposed bills demonstrated a lack
of understanding of farming and
the migrant labor situation in Pen
nsylvania. Ninety-nine percent of
everything they asked for migrant
workers is already covered by state
or federal law.
“What they are really seeking is
to cover all farm employees under
the State Labor Relations Act and
other laws designated to protect
migrant labor. If successful, it
could be a disaster for agriculture.”