HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- The Appalachian Trail is getting something new along its 2,175-mile route from Georgia, through North Carolina, to Maine -- a highway underpass.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is building an underpass to make a crossing safer in Cumberland County, where the trail crosses Wertzville Road in Middlesex Township. The trail crosses the road in a slight depression, with rises on both sides that hide approaching traffic.

Karen Lutz, Middle Atlantic regional director for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, says it's the first highway underpass on the trail.

Lutz says many hikers avoid the section of trail that includes the Wertzville Road crossing.

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