The following roadwork is scheduled for this week on Interstate 81.
Short Term Projects
I-81 Lackawanna County: Beginning on Monday, May 8, PennDOT crews will start work on Interstate 81 North at 5 AM and end at 3 PM. They will work Monday through Thursday during the week of May 8-11 and May 15-18. No work will take place on Fridays due to increased traffic demands. All work will take place between Exit 178A (Wilkes Barre/Scranton International Airport – Avoca) and Exit 186 (Dunmore-Drinker Street). Major delays are expected. Motorists are strongly urged to avoid the area during this time and should consider using the I-476 Turnpike/toll between Clarks Summit and Pittston.
During this timeframe, dozens of workers will be along the road, with crews performing a host of activities each day. Two crews will perform pothole repairs while another two crews do crack sealing. Additional personnel will focus on brush cutting, drainage/ditching work, washing salt from bridge decks, bridge deck repairs and additional preventative maintenance. A single lane of the highway will be shut down for three miles each day during the work.
I-81, Northbound, Right Lane, Mile Marker 151 between Exit 151A and 151B at Interstate 80 in Luzerne County for shoulder slab failure, Monday, May 8 through Wednesday, May 10 7am to 4pm.
I-81-SB-Susquehanna-Great Bend (230) to New Milford (223)-Pothole Patching-Monday 5/8/2017-Thursday 5/11/2017-7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
I-81 Right Lane closure between Exit 230 (Great Bend) and Exit 223 (New Milford) for pothole patching will be performed Monday May 8 through Thursday, May 11 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
I-81 single lane closure on north and south bound from Exit 194 (Clarks Summit) to Exit 197 (Waverly) for equipment and material mobilization for bridge replacement sites May 8 and 9 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Long Term Projects
Lackawanna County I-81 Southbound– Beginning at Exit 202 (Fleetville – Tompkinsville) to Exit 199 (Scott). A private contractor for PennDOT continues work on a $9,982,000 project to replace bridge decks on Interstate 81 South between Exit 199 (Scott) and Exit 202 (Fleetville – Tompkinsville). There will be single lane traffic from Exit 202 to 199 from April through November this year. The On Ramp to SR 81 Southbound from SR 107 at Fleetville/Tompkinsville will be Closed from April 17, 2017 through August 2017. A detour will take traffic onto I-81 Northbound to Exit 206 (Lenoxville) to turn around and come back Southbound.
The locations of the bridges to be replaced are as follows:
Spring 2017 – Southbound:
Two bridges at Exit 202 (Fleetville – Tompkinsville)
Bridge at Exit 201 (East Benton)
Bridge at Exit 199 (Scott)
I-81, Jenkins – I-81 Bridges Jenkins/Pittston, Rehabilitation and improvement of 81 North and South between Exit 170 (Bear Creek/Wilkes-Barre) and Exit 178 (Avoca/Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport), construction of four single span steel plate girder bridges, removal of existing bridges, milling, superpave asphalt wearing course, overhead sign structures, temporary cross overs, drainage, guiderail, temporary concrete barrier, erosion and sediment control measures, pavement markers, temporary traffic control, signing, temporary excavation and support, and other miscellaneous construction, Let January 2014, NTP March 2014, To Be Completed December 2017.
Starting mid-April I-81 Southbound Traffic pattern changes will include a split about 1,000 feet north of Exit 175 (Pittston). Crews use the split pattern so they can do work in the middle lane while still maintaining two lanes of traffic on I-81. Motorists will need to stay in their lanes as they travel through the construction area. This split will be in place until October 2017.
I-81, Exit 175 to SR 315 northbound at Oak Street-Armstrong Drive widening project will be completed by the end of June 2017. The will allow for three lanes of traffic to come off the exit ramp.
I-81 Pavement Preservation Project in Susquehanna County will start on May 1. There will be multiple single lane closures on Interstate 81 in both the northbound and southbound directions between mile marker 205 to 223.5. The lane restrictions will be in place every week between May 1 and November 1 starting on Monday morning at 12:00 am (midnight) and stay in place until Friday at 2:00 pm. The lane restrictions will be removed over the weekends barring any emergencies. This will start on May 8 in the northbound direction and on May 22 in the southbound direction.