PITTSTON TOWNSHIP -- PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike unveiled their $160 million plan to cut down on traffic backups on along Interstate 81 at a news conference Thursday.
It's called the Scranton Beltway and it's been years in the making.
Now we have a better idea of what's in the plan to cut down on traffic congestion on I-81 between Avoca and Clarks Summit.
At a news conference Thursday morning in Pittston Township, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and PennDOT laid out part of their plan to make the $160 million project a reality.
The Scranton Beltway project calls for more direct interchanges connecting I-81 and the turnpike (Route 476).
They hope a chunk of the 70,000 vehicles that travel on I-81 between Clarks Summit and Avoca will use the turnpike for a faster commute. That would mean less traffic on I-81.
The vehicles using the turnpike would have to pay a toll and PennDOT admits it won't be a perfect solution.
"It doesn't solve the problem, but it would really help provide an alternative," said PennDOT official Jim Ritzman. "High-speed access would be provided on I-476, which again would be an alternative for people. Instead of people taking the chance of whether it's congested or isn't, there would be another option."
That high-speed access is the way vehicles will access the turnpike. There won't be a tollbooth, but instead vehicles' license plates will be scanned if you take the turnpike instead of I-81.
A lot of drivers agree I-81 has a problem when it comes to traffic.
"81's a mess. From the beginning to the end, there's nothing but construction everywhere!" said Mike, a driver from Harrisburg.
But drivers using the turnpike would have to pay a toll, and not everyone is thrilled about that.
Christie Love of Love's Liquidation Services travels I-81 from Harrisburg to New York a couple of times a month for business. She avoids the turnpike because of the cost.
Turnpike officials expect up to 20,000 of the 70,000 vehicles that travel on I-81 between Clarks Summit and Dupont every day to opt for the turnpike when it opens in about a decade.
It would also mean less traffic on I-81 and more cars and trucks on the turnpike.
"Our traffic projections continue to rise throughout our system. So traffic this year over last year is up," said Mike Compton, Pennsylvania Turnpike CEO.
The turnpike and PennDOT haven't determined how much it would cost drivers traveling from Clarks Summit to Avoca.
