TheBurg

14 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 01.22 E ggs over easy. Crispy bacon, as only Bill Katsifis, owner of the East Shore Diner, can make it. English muffin. Randy Baratucci takes the elements of his usual order and makes a bacon and egg sandwich. "eir breakfasts are the best," said Baratucci from his booth in the cozy diner where, judging by the signage and the jukebox, time stopped somewhere between the Eisenhower years and the Un-cola age. "Whatever you need, they take care of it," Baratucci said. "ey're very personable. ey have things so nice for their customers. We're like family." People around Harrisburg are raging about the possibility of tolls, lurking ogre-like at the ends of a widened South Bridge. But a separate Capital Beltway expansion project is poised to reshape the commercial corridor driving through the heart of Harrisburg. e East Shore Diner on Cameron Street sits squarely in the path of the plans. Since Katsifis and his late father bought this classic chrome diner in 1985, generations have trooped in for camaraderie and good food. "You follow the American dream," said Katsifis' wife and diner co-owner, Dorothy Katsifis. "You try to own your own business. You support your family and your kids." But the PA Department of Transportation, the couple says, can't find a property that would allow them to continue their business uninterrupted. THE PROJECT PennDOT began its multi-phase expansion of the Capital Beltway several years ago. e recently widened I-83, around Union Deposit Road, is the tail end of the first phase of the $1 billion project to remake the east shore and river sections of the highway. Several more phases are pending. A plan to add lanes and rework interchanges from the Susquehanna River to 29th Street right through the city of Harrisburg is in final design, with construction bidding anticipated in August 2023, according to PennDOT. Construction of this stretch, labeled "Section 3," is expected to begin in 2024, with the first contract completed within three years. All components— utilities, right of way and construction—are expected to be done in 10 years, according to PennDOT. In fact, Section 3 is quietly underway already with land takings. Preliminary plans propose: • Widening I-83 from six to 10 lanes—three express lanes in each direction, plus two local lanes on each side. • Reconstruction of the 19th and 17th street interchanges and reworking of the 2nd Street interchange • A new interchange linking I-83 directly to Cameron Street, replacing the 13th Street interchange. Cameron Street will be widened for bicyclists and pedestrians. • Rebuilt 13th, 17th, 19th and 29th street bridges, including bicycle lanes. • Realignment of Paxton Street and, approaching 29th Street, I-83 itself. Because engineering began, first, for Section 3, and then for the South Bridge, a "small portion" of Section 3 would require redesign to accommodate the South Bridge widening, said PennDOT spokesperson Dave ompson. Property acquisitions are "ongoing," he said. "e department does not rely on condemnation as its first choice, but rather as a last resort to acquire property," ompson said in a written response to questions from eBurg. "erefore, the department does not forecast which properties it will condemn as a part of a project." TAKINGS Attorney Anthony Corby, of Faherty Law Firm, is constantly surprised by the extent of Harrisburg's businesses—an 80,000-square-foot warehouse here, a used car lot there. e list of PennDOT's planned takings in Section 3 reveals a business corridor approaching the logistically strategic junction of interstates 83 and 81: auction house, child care, equipment distribution, storage warehouses, vehicle sales and service, dry cleaner, IT services and more. Another 36 residential displacements were cited in preliminary plans. Corby represents about 13 property owners "just in that section." One has already won a ruling in Dauphin County Common Pleas Court that PennDOT's unveiling of the project, in compliance with federal law, constituted a "de facto" taking of his property—not legally acquired through eminent domain but depriving the owner of fair market value after potential buyers bailed out. "Obviously, this shows the property wasn't unmarketable generally," said Corby. "Its marketability was affected by eminent domain." PennDOT is appealing the ruling. At the East Shore Diner, surrounding properties are untouched or partially affected. e diner—and, more importantly, the lot it occupies—is directly in the path of construction. As real estate prices soar, finding a comparable lot, at a price that PennDOT is willing to pay while allowing business to continue and not forcing Katsifis to take out a mortgage, has become a stumbling block. PennDOT has offered Katsifis $221,000 for the real estate value and $123,078 for "personal property," including $48,000 for the portable diner. e owners were promised "a key for a key," said Dorothy Katsifis. "We knew it was coming, but not like this," she said. "We thought we were going to be taken care of and they would help us. What we have is what we want. at's the main thing. We have a parking lot. We want a parking lot." Katsifis worries about losing her customer base, although the loyal patrons filling the booths on a crisp Tuesday morning swear they would follow the East Shore Diner wherever it goes. It's the kind of place where the morning crowd has its "assigned" seats and gives grief when buddies take them, said Baratucci, of Paxtonia. ROAD RAGE Harrisburg begins to assess the impact of the I-83 widening project. BY M. DIANE MCCORMICK Dorothy & Bill Katsifis

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