SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— The Electric City is getting a makeover. For the first time since the 1960s, downtown Scranton will have new traffic patterns and sidewalks.
28/22 News reporter Connor Coar has more from Scranton.
The project was approved by the city council with a 3-2 majority vote.
The project converts one-way streets into two-way streets with numerous stoplights.
The Scranton streetscape project in the city’s downtown was approved last week with a price tag of over $27 million.
The project will change how drivers and pedestrians move around the city.
One man we spoke with says he already thinks the city is safe and easy to walk around in.
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“People here do follow the stop lights to walk and not to walk. Looking both ways would probably help. I think it just makes it a lot more walkable in my opinion,” voiced Evan Dimoutsikos.
The project affects 38 intersections.
The map, part of a presentation compiled by Reilly Associates, illustrates the project’s scale, extending from north to south along Olive Street to the Steamtown Mall on Lackawanna Avenue.
“To have it two ways would help with parking for people who drive down here. As far as walking here, staying at hotels, and walking around, I don’t think it will make that much of a difference. I mean, you have to look both ways before you cross anyway,” stated Dimoutsikos.
The presentation also shows four-way stop signs at major intersections in the city — including this one at the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Biden Street.
That intersection, and more than 10 other intersections, will also be turning from stop lights to stop signs.
Mayor Paige Cognetti has told 28/22 News in previous interviews that the project is trying to promote safety.
The investment in the city also includes bump-out crosswalks to reduce the time pedestrians spend walking across the street.
Many of the one-way roads drivers in Scranton are used to, will now be two-way streets.
Dimoutsikos, who is originally from Chicago, says the two-way roads make sense.
“Right now, everything is just one-way streets. I know, just from living in a big city, it can be difficult remembering ‘Is this a one-way? Which way is this? Left? Right? So I think that would make it a lot more accessible,” expressed Dimoutsikos.
A city spokesperson says four projects are out for bid to start working on different parts of the project.
They are going to be working on the project as long as they can.
There is still no timeline on when the project will be completed.
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