DUNMORE, Pa. — On Wednesday, inside PennDOT District 4 headquarters in Dunmore, officials announced the 2023 construction season plan.
District 4 covers Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.
PennDOT plans to pave 34 miles of roads and highways and replace or repair 98 bridges.
"I mentioned some projects on (Interstates) 80 and 81 in Luzerne County and others, so we're not losing sight of our highways, but it's probably a 60/40 split between bridges and highways," said PennDOT official Richard Roman.
Of the 98 bridge projects planned for this year, several of them have been on the waiting list, including three in Scranton:
- One along Green Ridge Street near the intersection with North Main Avenue,
- the Elm Street Bridge over the Lackawanna River in south Scranton,
- the Parker Street Bridge, which has been down to one lane for years.
"The amount of bridges that you're going to be seeing worked on is only going to increase over time because we need to make sure that they are safe, passable, they can handle legal loads to keep people and services moving," Roman said.
Adding a new ramp from Route 115 north to get on Interstate 81 south is one of the biggest projects on the list for this year in Luzerne County.
"Hopefully, by the spring or summer of 2025, that will be a free-flowing movement to go right to (Interstate) 81 south, so we're really excited about that because it's something that that area is growing on the Bear Creek Mountain and there's a lot of access to the interstate that's needed."
Many projects will continue this year, including the Route 6 Casey Highway improvement project and the twin tiers bridge project on Interstate 84. PennDOT officials say the mild winter helped move many projects closer to completion.
"They've done a lot of work over the winter to get ahead for the spring," Roman said. "We're really looking forward to another great season coming."
For a full list of notable PennDOT projects expected this year, visit their website.
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