EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — From Skycam16, the Interstate 80 exit (308) in East Stroudsburg doesn't look all that bad, but get behind the wheel and try to merge on or off the highway during rush hour, and then it may become a problem.
"It's OK for me because I'm experienced, but I have young kids, and I'm pretty sure it's difficult for them, and you have older drivers as well, and with the massive amount of traffic up here, it's not that easy for them. Years ago, we didn't have this much traffic," said Chris Jackson of East Stroudsburg.
Jackson is an Uber driver. He and other drivers are thankful that the PennDOT's new reconstruction and makeover of the exit includes longer ramps on and off I-80.
"It needed to be done, but it's kind of hard," Jackson said. "They did not expect the number of people to be up here, you know, ten years ago before everybody migrated up here from New York and New Jersey. They didn't expect this."
"I personally feel like it's going to be beneficial to the community because not many people can drive in the area, so it will probably help them out a lot," said Nina Wali, an East Stroudsburg University student.
PennDOT official Ron Young says the reconfiguration project will replace the Prospect Street Bridge over I-80 and the bridge over Lincoln Avenue. New roundabouts will also be on both sides of I-80 at the intersection with new traffic signals.
"Majority of the lane restrictions on Interstate 80 are going to be at nighttime Monday through Thursday nights, so it'll be staged that way to avoid causing any significant delay," said Young.
The construction is a part of a much larger project to eventually widen Interstate 80.
"The area of Interstate 80 here and the interchanges have really outlived their design life," Young said. "They were designed back in the '50s, and it's unfortunate that they have now grown, and the area's grown."
PennDOT says if all goes well, the project will be completed in July of 2026. More information is available here.
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