Residents of a normally quiet Scranton neighborhood brace for increased noise and traffic as a $6.4 million bridge reconstruction detours cars to their streets
SCRANTON, Pa. — Heavy equipment chatters away as construction crews prepare to rip out and rebuild the bridge along North Main Avenue in Scranton.
Built in 1900, it carries thousands of cars over Leggetts Creek daily.
But starting Tuesday, the road closed signs will be up, and the route will see no traffic for roughly a year.
One of several detours will take drivers onto Marvine Avenue.
“Always going through here because they have that stockpile place right over by the Little League here, and the trucks go there constantly, you know,” said Edward Volovich of Scranton.
Volovich lives in what is normally a quiet neighborhood, but with this traffic pattern change, he expects the roadway to get a little noisy.
“That’s going to be pretty busy, I believe, you know,” said Volovich.
A few houses away, Lester Beggs isn’t too excited about his block being a designated detour.
“We’ve always had the big dump trucks coming down in the summertime, but it’s going to get even worse. It’s going to be ten times the traffic flow,” said Beggs.
According to city officials, this is one of four bridge projects happening in collaboration with PennDOT.
At a price tag of $6.4 million, residents hope things go to plan and that construction wraps up early. “They get their butt in gear and get it done,” said Beggs. “I hope it’s done by the end of the summer,” laughed Volovich.
In a press release, city officials ask drivers to use alternate routes and avoid the 2700 block of North Main Avenue for the duration of the project.
Drivers should use a suggested 2.1-mile detour from 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 Ave) to reach their destination.