TANNERSVILLE – Drivers in the Poconos have been dealing with traffic tie-ups along Interstate 80 westbound this week.
PennDOT work between the Scotrun and the Bartonsville exits has made it slow going since Monday.
This maintenance work is causing big problems for some people just trying to get from point A to point B.
In a sea of brake lights sit hundreds of frustrated drivers as a stretch of I-80 in the Poconos gets repaired.
"Last couple days it's been torture. An hour and a half delay yesterday, about a half hour today," said John Smith of New Jersey.
Smith drives a truck through the Tannersville area every day and says this construction between the Scotrun and Bartonsville exits is "inescapable."
That’s because the alternate route, Route 611, is also under construction.
"611's not much of an alternate, especially with the bridge being repaired over there,” said Smith.
Jeff Talley of Reeders knows every back road in this area and says he detours around the back-up – one that stretches on for more than three miles at times. But his shortcuts are becoming more and more crowded.
"Now they're getting full, too, because everybody that lives here is using them also, so, I don't know what the solution is,” said Talley.
Although this traffic can be frustrating for drivers, there may be a light at the end of the backup. PennDOT says this work is scheduled to be done by the end of the week.
Other drivers say bring on the orange cones – like Alex Pappas of Reeders. He says he’s happy to see the roads get some much needed repairs.
"I mean the traffic's bad but on the other hand, I just spent $500 getting my car back from the potholes that we had around this winter,” said Pappas.
Pappas says he doesn’t mind traveling a different road, especially while crews work to improve the busy highways before the summer tourists make their way here and crowd the interstate even more.
"If we're going to fix the roads, we have to have the traffic every now and then. It's just a give and take kind of thing, you know?”
PennDOT says this work is scheduled between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. now through Thursday.
Because PennDOT’s own maintenance crews are responsible for these repairs, PennDOT spokesmen tell Newswatch 16 this work just can’t be done at night.