I-81 around Scranton and Wilkes Barre

[Giles]

Hello! everyone,
We will leave in a few days for our annual trip from Alabama to Canada.
My preferred route used to be  I -81 up to the Thousand Islands Bridge,  then to Montreal.
However, I quit doing this several years ago because of bad road conditions for several miles in the Scranton and Wilkes Barre area.
My question is: does anyone know if  I-81 has been repaired in these areas ?
Thank you so much.

 

[richtdu89]

I would say I-81 in NEPA is under permanent construction.  There is a lot of work going on from Wilkes-Barre through exit 202 (Thompkinsville/Fleetville).  Single lane, narrow 2 lane, and of course the usual pot holes where the bridges meet the highway.  It is passable (we drove through with our 32ft travel trailer) but that stretch can take a while depending on the time of day and there are 2 places with barriers that get a little narrow.
It seems as though PennDot works on the same parts of the highway year after year, job security or something.

Hope this helps

Rich

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Winter weather conditions, spring water runoff, and a huge amount of heavy truck traffic take their annual toll on that part of I81.  We last traveled it in 2014 and it was actually in quite good condition, though construction/repair is nearly always present somewhere between there and Binghamton, NY.

 

[Giles]

Well thank you both for the information. I may just try it again.
Giles.

 

[HappyWanderer]

I was on I-81 between Harrisburg and I-80 this weekend, but didn't go through Scranton. Southbound was pretty good, northbound a bit bumpy but not horrible.

We bypassed Scranton and I-84 via Route 209 through the Delaware Water Gap.

 

[RVoorhis318]

I went that route heading to Florida from CT last November and there was construction, it was early morning and we breezed right through. I84 West of the Hudson River has never been a problem unless there's an accident or snow.

 

[Giles]

I would rather go all the way up 81, instead of using 78 to get on 87 N.
Campgrounds seem harder to find on 87 than on 81.
So thank you all for your help.

 

[pondguy]

I am in Dickson City, next town north of Scranton, and have been up and down I-81 quite a few times this month. Yes, permanent construction in this area, lane changes, etc.

The only bad spot is going to be in the Pittston exit area. They have some concrete barricades dividing the lanes, maybe less than a mile long, but it is tight. It is at exit 175 northbound.
Otherwise, not too bad. I've lived in the are all my life, so I guess I'm used to it. 

The Walmart in Dickson City does allow overnights if you need a break about then.

 

[richtdu89]

Pondguy,
I am just a little north of you around Factoryville.  If there is one thing we can say about NEPA its that when the frost comes out of the ground the cones go up.

Rich

 

[pondguy]

You can tell it's spring when the orange cones are in bloom!!

 

[Giles]

Thank you Pondguy.
I think that I can live with one mile of narrow road.
I plan to go up that way.