WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — There aren't any hubcaps on the car Mark Chokola drives around the city of Wilkes-Barre.
"I've had to replace my tires and rims so many times that I don't know," he joked to Newswatch 16 when asked about them. But he says the roads in his Goose Island neighborhood might lead you to the reason why.
"It's a war zone. As you can tell, I have gotten many flat tires, many busted rims," said Chokola. "It'd be nice to have some nice flat paved roads."
Luckily for Chokola and others in his neighborhood, streets here are included in the first phase of the city's American Recovery Act Funded Street Rehabilitation Project.
"What we'll be doing is re-addressing some of the issues with the sewers, also stormwater channels," explained Mayor George Brown. "When we dig up and replace those, we have to pave the streets again. But also handicap ramps will be part of that."
This first phase will cost close to $900,000 and has already gone out to bid and has been awarded to Pennsy Supply.
Mayor Brown expects the upgrades to begin within the next few weeks, and they will include repairs in areas of the city's North End and the Goose Island section.
Phase Two of the project is currently out to bid, and the city estimates that will be about $1.8 million worth of repairs.
Then the project will go into Phase Three, which is currently in planning.
"Yeah, oh, yeah. We're very excited to hear this news," said Chokola.
These are the street in the city's first two phases:
Phase 1:
- Scott Street from North Pennsylvania Blvd. to Wilkes-Barre Blvd.
- West Sidney Street from North Washington Street to the Bridge
- Laird Street from Schuler Street to Flood Drive and 2nd Street
- Covell Street from Schuler Street to Andover Street
- Andover Street from Covell Street to Strauss Lane
- Vine Street from East Division Street to Schuler Street
- Cherry Street from East Division to Schuler Street
- Strauss Lane from Schuler Street to the Bridge
- Schuler Street from Vine Street to Covell Street
Phase 2:
- Empire Street from New Market Street to East Northampton Street
- Gordon Avenue from Willow Street to Barney Farms
- East Elm Street from North Franklin Street to North Washington Street
- Wilkes-Barre Blvd. from East Market Street to Hazle Street
- Academy Street from Carey Avenue to Old River Road
- Irving Place from Riverside Drive to New Mallery Place
- Orchard Street from Susquehanna Street to Dauphin Lane
- West River Street from Academy Street to West Ross Street
- Cunningham Avenue from Penn Avenue to Scott Street
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