DUNMORE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — An infrastructure project in Lackawanna County is making significant progress. The six-year project on the I-84 twin bridges is nearly halfway complete.
PennDOT invited the local media to take a short ride over to Roaring Brook Township to check out the progress contractors have made.
The major project is chugging along and has the potential to be completed early a $113 million dollar project.
“We’re looking to uh probably finish a little bit early. They are ahead of schedule right now,” said Harold Hill, Assistant District Executive of Construction with PennDOT.
PennDOT’s interstate 84 “Twin bridges project” is a six-year project slated to be completed in April of 2026.
This virtual rendering of the bridge project provided by PennDOT district 4 gives drivers an idea of what the entire layout in roaring brook township will look like.
Once complete, the twin bridges will be replaced. A flyover bridge will be put in for the Elmhurst Route 435 Exit switching the exit from the left to the right.
Once the bridge is complete, Hill says it will be smooth sailing for drivers.
“It’s going to be wide enough on both bridges, eastbound, and westbound where you know if there’s ever an accident it will still be able to keep two lanes open. So for the motorists, it’ll be a good thing that they won’t be affected,” said Hill.
At the construction site on Wednesday, contractors took apart what was left of the existing interstate 84 Eastbound Bridge.
The remaining beams were taken off of the piers and slowly placed on the ground by 300-ton cranes. It’s a meticulous project because of its size.
“These beams right here are six-foot beams that are very heavy. There’s a lot of engineering calculations that go into where you gotta pick the beams because if you don’t pick them up the right way you can top the crane over,” said Hill.
Next, contractors will remove the concrete piers. Then, they will begin to build the westbound side of the bridge.
Drivers should expect traffic patterns to move again at the end of the summer. It is a long project, again that won’t be complete for another 3 years.
