PLAINS, Pa. — It is normally smooth sailing here in the southbound lanes of the North Cross Valley Express near Bear Creek, where Route 309 becomes Route 115.
But now, it's a slow roll, and sometimes traffic comes to a complete standstill.
It is because work is underway on a major project to replace three bridges that weave through the Interstate 81 interchange here in this part of Luzerne County.
"To go what is normally a three-minute ride. Now, takes me 15-20 minutes with this," says Samuel Frankelli of Bear Creek.
While many drivers will experience delays because of the project, Frankelli, who runs a small business along 115, tells us he has something to gain from the roadwork that PennDOT expects will continue into 2027.
"With the with the oncoming traffic now because of this, I've had a lot more people stopping, people that I normally might not have. You know, they're looking at this as a quick fix. 'Hey, if I'm going to sit in traffic, I might as well eat something good', he explained.
But Frankelli says his neighbors in Bear Creek will be the big winners when all is said and done.
As part of the bridge replacement project, PennDOT is also building a new ramp to give drivers leaving the Bear Creek area on 115 a way to get directly onto Interstate 81 South.
It's a stretch drivers used to travel years ago but was taken away.
"Originally, to get on 81 south, you had a down 115 and literally had to cross high-speed traffic just to get on. I might have been a yield or stop sign. I really don't remember, but I know you had it; it was very dangerous to cross over," remembers Frankelli.
A spokesperson for PennDOT tells Newswatch 16 there are no renderings of what this new ramp will look like, but drivers say it will no doubt be better than the current pathway.
"You need to take exit one, which I call 'the mall exit.' You have to go around there's now when you get off that exit, there's a light. You have to wait at once that light turns. You have to go to another light to turn left, to go back onto 115 to then get on 81 south," added Frankelli.
Even though the Route 115 Interchange Project will tie up traffic for the next several years, residents of Bear Creek are hopeful the result will be worth it.
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