The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will take more public input on the Scranton Beltway project at the end of the month.

A public hearing will take place Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at Pittston Area High School. It will include information on the project’s environmental assessment and project revisions. The public can see revised plans for the project beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The $236 million effort is designed to connect the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 476) to Interstate 81 near the Dupont-Pittston Twp. border and in South Abington Twp., with connector ramps at the Wyoming Valley and Clarks Summit interchanges. It also includes new bridges, culvert extensions, sound barriers and stormwater management facilities. The commission designed it to reduce congestion on I-81, with connections allowing motorists to drive between I-81 and I-476.

During the hearing, officials will address the project’s environmental assessment and proposed design revisions, specifically in the Wyoming Valley interchange area, commission spokeswoman Marissa Orbanek said. The revised plans included the replacement of the Suscon Road Bridge in Pittston, which was done in 2023. The plans were also altered due to state regulatory changes, which have reduced proposed right-of-way impacts, she added.

Orbanek added the project continues to move through the preliminary engineering and environmental review process, and the public hearing provides another opportunity for people and agencies to review those updates and provide comments.

The commission believes that making the links between the turnpike and interstate more convenient will attract more vehicles onto the Northeast Extension and help ease congestion on I-81. More than 70,000 vehicles a day use portions of I-81 through the Scranton region, while the Northeast Extension carries about 10,000 vehicles a day.

The project calls for two separate connections between the turnpike’s I-476 and PennDOT’s I-81:

•Clarks Summit to the north of Scranton in South Abington Twp., Lackawanna County.

•Wyoming Valley to the south of Scranton in Dupont and Pittston Twp., Luzerne County.

Funding for the Scranton Beltway Project comes from Act 89 of 2013, the state’s comprehensive transportation funding measure.

However, the Scranton Beltway project has drawn public skepticism and opposition, as the commission plans to acquire multiple properties and easements for traffic lanes, sound barriers and other features. Many people voiced their concerns about the project at two hearings in 2024.

The project would proceed to its final design phase once the Federal Highway Administration issues a finding of no significant impact, according to the Turnpike Commission. That period is expected to last four years.

Construction is on track to start in 2030.

Orbanek said that after the hearing, the project team will compile the comments received at the 2024 public hearings and the upcoming hearing, prepare responses and submit that information to the FHA for consideration.