LUZERNE COUNTY--- It was a slow ride Monday afternoon on Interstate 81 northbound in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties and people were not necessarily taking it easy.
"Oh, that's bad. That's real bad. They got to figure out a different system than this," one driver said.
Crews are repaving eight miles of I-81 northbound in increments for the next two weeks Monday through Thursday from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The roads were just about as congested as some people's allergy-prone sinuses right now.
"Yeah, they'll be alright. Anything is better than what we've got," driver Al Smargiassi of Wallenpaupack said.
Monday and Tuesday crews are focusing on three miles of the interstate from Avoca to Davis Street.
Even back roads were backed up because of the roadwork.
"You just have to deal with it. If we want good roads we have to pay the price, and this is the price," driver Gary Smith of Bear Creek Township said.
Crews are taking double the amount of time to get the northbound job done than they did the southbound last week.
PennDOT officials said workers need about six times the asphalt on the northbound side because the road conditions are that much worse than the southbound.
Workers will also be fixing parts of the Moosic exit as well.
Traffic was moving pretty steadily on I-81 northbound Monday afternoon, but during the morning, it was crawling. Some people took two hours to get from Wilkes-Barre to Scranton.
For now, drivers from in and out of northeast Pennsylvania are just buckling up for the delays.
"Well, this is the second time (I've been stuck in traffic) today, so not too bad," driver James Decker of Greenville New York said jokingly.
PennDOT officials said for just $3, drivers can skip the mess and take the Pennsylvania Turnpike from Wilkes-Barre to Clarks Summit.
PennDOT officials said the turnpike was smooth sailing.