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Duke Street Project in Northumberland Set for Summer

NORTHUMBERLAND — Bumper to bumper traffic is the norm on Duke Street in Northumberland. But the situation on a stretch of Route 147 may soon get worse bec...

NORTHUMBERLAND -- Bumper to bumper traffic is the norm on Duke Street in Northumberland. But the situation on a stretch of Route 147 may soon get worse because of a big PennDOT project.

The "Duke Street Project" involves reconstructing several streets in Northumberland.

Lori Stevens worries that traffic will be detoured through residential areas.

"We have kids running around here, we have schools, two schools right in the area where kids are walking and it's just a little scary on that aspect," Stevens said.

PennDOT says the two-year project will cost around $14 million. It will happen about two miles away from another big project, the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway Project.

"People are going to be avoiding this area in entirety compared to say if they live in say Sunbury or Shamokin Dam or Danville, they're going to avoid this area at all costs," Zach Reed said.

"The people who spoke with Newswatch 16 are also concerned that they might not be able to get to businesses here on Duke Street.

"CVS? How are people going to get their prescriptions? That's a main thing for me," Stevens said.

Zach Reed's son gets on the school bus on Orange Street.

"Which is going to be one of the designated thruways I guess, so we're going to have tractor-trailers, mac trucks, more traffic in general," Reed said.

Preliminary work on the Duke Street Project in Northumberland starts next month.

Actual roadwork is scheduled to start in July, right after the borough's "Pineknotter Days" festival.

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