Scranton traffic study takes effect to test downtown streetscape changes

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Scranton City Streets are testing out some changes.

“It’s a $20.4 million project to bring safer streets, safer sidewalks, and safer for pedestrians to cross the streets downtown,” said the city’s business administrator Eileen Cipriani.

It’s the newest development in the city’s streetscapes project approved last fall which seeks to overhaul downtown Scranton’s traffic, sidewalks, and overhead wires.

The project has been in the works for years and was funded by the American rescue plan, but before any permanent changes can come, the city is conducting a 90-day traffic study to analyze the effects of changing traffic and switching traffic lights to stop signs.

The study started on Monday and saw 13 of Scranton’s 35 intersections changed.

Streets like Lackawanna Avenue will see no changes, but streets like Linden Street will see every one of their traffic lights changed to stop signs.

City officials hope that this helps with traffic congestion and the safety of both drivers and pedestrians downtown.

“The studies have shown that when signals are, are not warranted, there’s less compliance with drivers in terms of them going through a intersection at a higher speed,” explained Tom Reily, president of Reilly Associates, the engineering firm that won the contract to analyze and implement the changes. “And so if you can have a stop sign intersection, it has a traffic calming effect. And, the nature and the severity of vehicular and pedestrian accidents have shown to be reduced significantly.”

But the changes to stop lights are just the first phase. Soon, the city will start changing the lanes of traffic.

“This phase will take place for the next 30 days, and then we’ll move on to another 60 day change,” explained Cipriani. “When we start slowly converting from the one ways to two ways during that time period.”

Traffic, pedestrian crossings, any accidents, and more will be monitored by police, the city, and Reilly associate engineers.

City officials said they’re confident the study will deliver their intended effect – and if the city and PennDOT approve it – the changes will become permanent sometime next year.

A map of all the changes made is included in the story, but you can see a full breakdown of the streetscapes project HERE.