MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — The trucks were lined up Wednesday morning for a moment the Delaware Water Gap community has been anxiously awaiting nearly two years for. Construction on Route 611 is finally underway.
"I'm happy; it's got to be fixed. So I'm looking forward to driving my car down that road again," said Marty Wilson of Delaware Water Gap.
The road was closed in both directions back in December of 2022 after heavy rain caused a rockslide along Mount Minsi.
This week, the National Park Service approved PennDOT's plan to get work started. Crews will install a temporary barrier to keep rocks from falling into the road.
"I think everyone worked really hard on it. PennDOT thought outside the box, and all of our representatives and those people from the government kept after them to come up with ideas and let's get this thing moving," said Susan Cooper.
Susan Cooper is the owner of the village Farmer and Bakery. She tells Newswatch 16 that her business took a major hit in the last 20 months of the closure.
"We lost at least one-third of our business, if not more, because of the shutdown. We had to decrease our staff which means people aren't getting paid, they aren't working. I went from a staff of 27, and we are down to a staff of 10," explained Cooper.
The project is expected to take 8 to 10 weeks, wrapping up sometime in October. People in this community say there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
"We are really excited, really hopeful for the fall and a great season," said Cooper.
"I am connected to the Dutot Museum, which is right down the street here, and our numbers have been down this year because nobody is driving through town, so I'd like to see more people at the Dutot Museum," said Wilson.
The temporary project will allow two-way traffic to flow while the National Park Service and PennDOT continue working behind the scenes on a more permanent solution.