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Vital Link to Downtown Scranton About to Reopen

Vital Link to Downtown Scranton About to Reopen - Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 10:40AM EST

Reported by: Mark Hiller
Thursday, Nov 19, 2009 @ 10:40am EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - Work on a nearly year-and-a-half long bridge project is just about complete.

It's normally one of the most traveled bridges in the entire city of Scranton -- but the mayor's office confirmed Thursday that the Lackawanna Avenue Bridge will reopen next week.

Work on this project started in July 2008. It involved the entire restoration of the bridge. Crews are finishing up installing lights along the span -- but the major construction is complete.

Commuters will soon have relief -- including Aileen Berry of Chinchilla. She's had a daily inconvenience to get to her job at the state office building on Lackawanna Avenue. "A little big of extra traffic and extra traffic lights and a little bit... a few more minutes," said Berry.

Hearing that the bridge will reopen next Wednesday makes her very happy. "It's going to be nice and it's going to be beautiful. The old one was scary to go across even," she said.

Scary because of a bridge deck and sidewalks that were full of potholes -- and arches that were eroded. It's a project that many knew was vital for safety sake.

For 16 months, drivers trying to enter downtown Scranton from the city's west side have faced this detour at the Lackawanna Avenue Bridge. And it's been more than just a hassle for commuters. It's also been a problem for local businesses.

Community Bank and Trust has a branch right at the bridge heading into center city. And up the road a couple blocks, Kost Tire and Auto Service Center felt the traffic pinch. "Just headaches trying to get around the bridge. The detours, just inconvenience really," said Kost Store Manager Vince Rinaldi.

An inconvenience even he felt trying to get to the downtown. "Just a quick shot down to the mall to grab something and you got to go around," said Rinaldi.

While the bridge isn't officially open just yet, that didn't stop a commuter on his bike from crossing it Thursday morning. "The gate was open so I thought I'd give it a try," said Matt O'Malley of Scranton who often make his daily work commute to the Scranton Tax Office. "So I got so far and the guy goes 'Where are you going' and I said 'Could I be the first?' and he said all right'."

O'Malley enjoyed the ride and appreciates the improvements. "It looks good and they did a nice job. I think they finished even a little earlier than they thought."

The Lackawanna Avenue Bridge was initially scheduled to reopen in December. Now that it's happening the day before Thanksgiving, commuters will catch a break just in time for the holiday season.
 


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