TOBYHANNA TOWNSHIP -- A few shovel strikes to the ground and it became official -- a new village-style intersection of Route 115 in Blakeslee is about to become a reality.
It's good news to nearby businesses.
"To have a light right here is great. They can come into this area more easily, come into the hotel without a problem, make a turn onto (Route) 115 without a problem, that is great," said Verene Sanchez, Best Western Blakeslee Pocono.
The nearly $2 million project will create hundreds of jobs and enhance traffic flow into and out of Commercial Boulevard and near a future travel plaza site.
Verene Sanchez works at the Best Western Blakeslee Pocono. She says this area can use some improvements.
"It's very important for the area. It helps people around here too who are looking for work or need jobs. It's great to see an inflow of any kind happening," said Sanchez.
Not only will the improvements to this intersection help with traffic flow, it will also improve the look of it too for the thousands of people who drive through this area.
The "village style" will feature decorative iron posts and traffic lights.
"Right over here at the entrance to New Ventures Park is where the intersection is going to be created and that intersection will have village-style street lights and village-style traffic intersections, so right over here the road will be widened to accommodate traffic going both in and out of Blakeslee," said John Jablowski, Jr., Tobyhanna Township Manager.
Money for the project will come from partnerships with several corporations in the Poconos.
The project is expected to be complete by October 2017.