The portion of Elm Street connecting Scranton’s West Side and South Side reopened Friday following a project to replace the heavily trafficked 1958 Elm Street Bridge spanning the Lackawanna River. It had been closed since February 2025 to accommodate the bridge replacement. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Engineering District 4 Executive Jonathan Eboli, Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and others gathered at the site Friday to celebrate the reopening and the project’s completion. The bridge connecting East and West Elm streets is one of four targeted for replacement by PennDOT as part of the Scranton Local Bridge Project, according to the city. The reconstructed Parker Street Bridge, also known as the East Parker Street Bridge, reopened in January 2025, while the North Main Avenue Bridge carrying North Main over Leggetts Creek closed in January. The broader, four-bridge project also includes the West Lackawanna Avenue Bridge between downtown and West Side.
PennDOT workers pick up signs remaining from the work being done on the Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
District Executive for PennDOT’s Engineering District 4 Jonathan Eboli speaks during the ceremony marking the opening of the reconstructed Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Vehicles cross the Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The reconstructed Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, center, points towards vehicles that are waiting to cross the Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti speaks during the ceremony marking the opening of the reconstructed Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A bicyclist crosses the Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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PennDOT workers pick up signs remaining from the work being done on the Elm Street Bridge in Scranton Friday, July 31, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)