If you have driven on Route 315 near Mohegan Sun Casino in Luzerne County, you may have noticed a couple of large construction projects underway.
Workers put the finishing touches on a new Dunkin' Donuts on Route 315 in Plains Township. Across the road, another construction project will bring a hotel and two fast food restaurants.
"It`s exploding! There`s a lot happening here. There`s a new Dunkin' Donuts coming in, a micro hotel coming, it`s exploding all around us," said Gene Cosklo.
Cosklo owns several plazas near the construction sites and said at least in this part of Luzerne County, the economy is booming, in part because of the location next to the Mohegan Sun Casino.
"It means business. There are more people. There are people looking for space. We get probably five to eight phone calls a day looking for space. Last year and two years ago we would get five a month," added Cosklo.
All these projects near Wilkes-Barre mean jobs for construction workers and contractors.
"There`s construction here and down the road and this is good for the economy this is working. We have so many contractors working here it`s good for everybody," said Mike Fox, a foreman on one of the construction sites.
So what does this mean for the people who live and work in Plains Township? Besides having easy and quick access to new fast food restaurants and a new hotel, township officials said all this construction along Route 315 has generated several hundred thousand dollars in revenue.
"We are able to buy equipment, fix roads, do our job to provide for the community a little easier without hitting them in the wallet," said Ken Shefler, Plains Township codes official.
Shefler said the builders haven't told the township what restaurants will eventually go on Route 315, but the Dunkin' Donuts should open in a few weeks.