| Work Detail |
Traffic-snarling roadwork will likely continue for the rest of the week in downtown Scranton. Starting Monday, crews closed Spruce Street between North Washington Avenue and Wyoming Avenue for routine repairs on a sewer line. Work should continue through the end of the week, with the road reopening at the end of the day when the work winds down, Scranton Sewer Authority Executive Director Gene Barrett said. “This is normal utility operations,” he said. The detour around the closure diverts traffic to North Washington Avenue and then Lackawanna Avenue, creating headaches for motorists. Traffic on North Washington Avenue backed up to Mulberry Street on Wednesday afternoon. Nearly 10,400 vehicles enter the downtown at Spruce Street and Jefferson Avenue every day, and 4,357 vehicles travel through the Spruce Street/Wyoming Avenue intersection, said Michael Taluto, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. More work to come While the closure may end Friday, the work will not be done, said Terry McHenry, an inspection manager with PennDOT. Once crews started their work on the pipe, they realized the damage was more severe than they thought and would require a contractor more proficient at the work involved. Crews will probably be working today, “and then they’re going to pull out because they can’t repair what needs to be repaired,” Mr. McHenry said. Mr. Barrett did not know when the authority would resume work once crews wrap up Friday. Since Spruce Street is a state road, the authority needs a PennDOT permit to close it. The authority’s permit is good until June 9, PennDOT permit manager Robert Kretschmer said. |
