Interstate 81 Southbound traffic jam frustrates drivers
LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — There were lots of frustrated drivers on Interstate 81 Southbound after construction caused a major traffic jam and Wednesday looks like it could be a repeat of Tuesday.
28/22 News Reporter Emily Allegrucci spoke with people about the hold-up. She was stuck on I-81 South Tuesday for about an hour and a half instead of what’s usually a 30-minute commute to work.
PennDOT tells us the shoulder work that had the interstate backed up will continue the next two days and drivers say they’re looking to avoid what happened Tuesday.
“The traffic jam was really hard on 81, that was really rough. It was like, I’m ready to go home. That was really rough. It was an irritating experience,” said New York resident Superior McNair.
Hundreds of drivers in NEPA had similar experiences Tuesday as their morning and afternoon commutes on Interstate 81 Southbound turned into a stand-still.
Shoulder cutting and patching on 81 South in Luzerne County caused major delays due to lane restrictions and the high volume of cars.
Although the traffic eventually cleared out, drivers are not done with it just yet.
The southbound traffic did clear up later in the evening on Tuesday, but that same sort of jam that was seen earlier in the day is expected again on Wednesday and Thursday.
PennDOT Workers’ Memorial in Stroudsburg
PennDOT says the shoulder work will continue both days from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., limiting southbound lanes from Exit 180 in Moosic to Exit 165 in Mountain Top and Wilkes-Barre.
Locals like Irwin Roth of Pittston say for the next two days, he’s going to avoid 81 at all costs.
“I’m just going to avoid it, because I use it to get back and forth from work. I work down at Home Depot here so I use it to get back and forth so I’ll just avoid it,” said Roth.
Those who couldn’t beat the traffic on Tuesday say they won’t be making the same mistake again.
McNair traveled from New York with her husband on Tuesday and says they’ll be waking up early on Wednesday to head home before restrictions resume.
“I really don’t want to be bothered with that, because that was a bad backup. We’re definitely going to leave a little early to avoid it,” McNair continued.
PennDOT reminds drivers to turn on your headlights and drive carefully through those construction zones.
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