EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — From Skycam 16, you can see heavy machinery and lots of construction work happening off Route 209 near East Stroudsburg. It's all part of a major development project called the Smithfield Gateway.
It takes up more than 120 acres of land in Smithfield Township.
Ken Schuchman owns Odd-Lot Outlet. His business has a front-row seat to construction work.
"We are very, very excited. We've been here for 20 years, and we've been waiting for this type of project to come to town," said Schuchman.
The project broke ground in 2019. That's also when several buildings were demolished to make way for new structures.
Apartments, retail and office space, a grocery store, and a medical building are some of what is planned for this area.
"We do have a 40,000 square foot office building that has been leased out. Of course, we also have the Dunkin' Donuts that will be taking a spot, so they will have a much nicer facility once we get that constructed, a lot of retail, a lot of apartments. It will be a total mixed-use project with townhouses and apartments. So we will have a mix of a type of residential units also," said Doug Olmstead, Smithfield Gateway development manager.
While people are excited to see machines moving, they are really eager to see the improvement project on Route 209.
Route 209 will be converted from two lanes to five. A loop road will be built that goes through the former site of Mosier's Dairy Farm to Route 447.
Drivers Newswatch 16 spoke to hope the change will alleviate some congestion in this area.
"That will be very important for the area to continue growing. Usually, the roads are the last thing they do. They put a lot of places in and forget about the road, and then the congestion is unbelievable," said Al Schmid, Tannersville.
The Smithfield Gateway project is expected to create 1,000 jobs.
Developers say the project is being done in phases, with the first building scheduled to open to the public in 2023.