PennDOT hopes to start reconstructing a 7.5 mile stretch of Interstate 81 by 2025, and they are looking for public comment during the planning process.
The Partnership 81 project would add a third travel lane to I-81 in each direction between the Nuangola exit and exit 168, Wilkes-Barre Twp.’s Highland Park Boulevard. Where the north and southbound sides of the road split, the project would merge them together and build new ramps and interchanges for access.
But project manager Kevin James said that probably won’t happen for several years.
“We are in preliminary engineering and environmental clearance,” he said. “So, very early stages.”
James led a public meeting at Wilkes-Barre Area High School on Tuesday night. He sought comments and concerns from people who live around the stretch of highway that could be under construction.
“We take all the comments that we get, we document them and we go back and we take a look at the design as we have it and see what improvements we can make,” he said. “So it definitely has a great impact, a tremendous impact on the preliminary engineering process for sure.”
James presented the preliminary design and plans to a group of local residents in the high school auditorium.
James said traffic along the corridor is expected to increase by 40 percent by the year 2047. PennDOT and Michael Baker International anticipate the cost of construction to range between $250 - $350 million.
Next, the project partners will hold meetings focused on noise pollution for specific areas along the corridor. Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, they had also met with local public officials.
Tuesday’s meeting was likely the last fully public meeting on the project for the year, James said, but anyone can leave comments or questions at penndot.pa.gov/Partnership81.
