NANTICOKE — PennDOT officials gave some details to about 40 people who attended the public hearing on the 'Ashley to Arena' I-81 expansion project on Tuesday night.
Jessica Ruddy, who is in charge of community relations at PennDOT, said the initial engineering work for the project is expected to be finished by fall 2024.
“The final design is expected to start in the fall of 2024 and continue until 2027,” Ruddy said. “The acquisition of land is expected to start as early as the fall of 2025, with construction planned to start in the summer or fall of 2028.”
Ruddy stated that two individuals provided spoken testimony during the public hearing.
“The most frequently asked questions were about the project schedule and the timing of the land acquisitions,” Ruddy said.
Despite the worry, Ruddy mentioned that the attendees were “generally calm and respectful” as they learned about the 7.5 mile reconstruction of I-81 from Hanover Township to Wilkes-Barre Township, between milepost 161.2 north of the Nuangola exit and exit 168, Highland Park Boulevard.
Ruddy stated that the next step is to record the public testimony and any written comments received during the public comment period for the Environmental Assessment which ends April 12.
“The PennDOT team will then provide a summary of the testimony and comments, along with responses to any questions provided, and include the summary in the final Environmental Assessment documentation,” Ruddy said. “This documentation will then be provided to the Federal Highway Administration, as well as the cooperating agencies for consideration and inclusion in the decision document for this project.
PennDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), held the public hearing at the Luzerne County Community College Educational Conference Center.
The two agencies will also continue to receive public comments in-person, online and by mail on an Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared for the project — previously called the Partnership 81 project.
PennDOT officials have mentioned that 16 to 20 properties and a few businesses could be affected by the project, but nothing has been decided at this point.
PennDOT and FHWA urge the public to examine and comment on the EA during the 30-day public comment period ending on April 12.
The EA is accessible for examination at these locations:
• PennDOT District 4-0: 55 Keystone Industrial Park.
• Ashley Municipal Building: 49 Cemetery St.
• Wilkes-Barre Township Municipal Building: 150 Watson St.
• Hanover Township Municipal Building: 1267 Sans Souci Parkway.
• Sugar Notch Borough Office: 892 Main St.
The EA is also available for examination on PennDOT’s website under the Resources section at https://bit.ly/I81ashleytoarenaproject.
