Part of North Main Avenue in Scranton to close for year to replace bridge

Part of heavily-traveled North Main Avenue in North Scranton will close for over a year starting Tuesday, for a $6.4 million replacement of a bridge that carries the road over Leggetts Creek, the city and state Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

The closure of the 2700 block of North Main Avenue between Marvine Avenue and Watkins Street will last through the winter of 2026-27.

Originally constructed in 1900, the bridge is a 36-foot span carrying North Main Avenue over Leggetts Creek that is a tributary to the nearby Lackawanna River.

Traffic detours

Motorists should avoid the 2700 block of North Main Avenue during the project and detours will exist.

Drivers should use a suggested 2.1-mile detour from North Main Avenue to Parker Street and along Boulevard Avenue to reconnect with Main Avenue at Dickson Corners near NBT Bank. Truck traffic must take Interstate 81 to Exit 191A (Route 6 Business Dickson City) or Exit 190 (Main Avenue) as a detour.

During the project, implementation of traffic signal timing adjustments will start at the intersection of Commerce Boulevard and Main Avenue to the on-ramp of Interstate 81 at Schiff’s. A new traffic signal also will be installed at the intersection of Boulevard Avenue and Parker Street as part of the additional traffic expected on this route.

Other bridge projects

The North Main Avenue Bridge replacement is one of four bridge projects included in the Scranton Local Bridge Project, undertaken in collaboration with PennDOT. The other bridges in this initiative include the West Lackawanna Avenue Bridge, the Parker Street Bridge—which reopened in summer 2025—and the East Elm Street Bridge, which closed for repairs in February 2024 and is anticipated to reopen later this year.

In December, PennDOT announced the opening of the newly constructed Green Ridge Street Bridge in Scranton. Additional work will continue through 2026 to complete that $16.9 million project, including removal of the temporary bridge and installation of new sidewalks, drainage systems, and traffic signals.