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Middle Road Closed in Luzerne County

HANOVER TOWNSHIP — A busy road that connects Wilkes-Barre to Nanticoke is shut down. It caused some traffic headaches on Monday, but it was all in an effo...

HANOVER TOWNSHIP -- A busy road that connects Wilkes-Barre to Nanticoke is shut down. It caused some traffic headaches on Monday, but it was all in an effort to get rid of more problems in the future.

Drivers in Hanover Township were making U-turns to get around the closing of Middle Road.

"It's kind of annoying because I have a speech today and I have to meet my group and so now I have to find another way to get there," said Anna Schaffer of Wilkes-Barre.

This was the first day the road was shut down, and Luzerne County Community College students who use the road to get to school were not happy about it.

"I don't think there's any traffic to alleviate. I've never had any problems with traffic getting to school, so I don't understand why they're doing all this," said Schaffer.

PennDOT officials shut down the road so construction can continue on some nearby roundabouts and other improvements. They say the road project will slow down traffic on this portion of Middle Road and help with traffic flow, which they hope will save lives.

"They're in a hurry to get nowhere, and as a result, it could cause a lot…there have been tragedies on this road, fatalities," said Nanticoke resident Tony Nork.

But according to PennDOT officials, drivers will have to get used to this new traffic pattern. And PennDOT officials say drivers are just going to have to keep snaking around on these detour roads until at least November of this year.

The full cost of the South Valley Parkway Project is estimated to cost about $35 million.

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