Residents voice concerns over Scranton Beltway project
A public meeting was held in Yatesville to hear from residents regarding the over 200 million dollar Scranton Beltway project.
The PA Turnpike Commission plans to link Interstate 81 with the PA Turnpike's Northeast Extension at two locations, one near the Wyoming Valley Interchange and a second near the Clarks Summit Interchange, however some residents in Wyoming Valley think the project will cause more harm than good.
During Wednesday's meeting many residents gave testimony to the PA Turnpike commission hoping to stop or at the very least alter the construction plans.
The project will link Interstate 81 with the PA Turnpike's Northeast Extension (I-476) at two locations, one near the Wyoming Valley Interchange and a second near the Clarks Summit Interchange.
The Scranton Beltway's direct connection is predicted to shift regional traffic away from interchanges, reduce crash rates between interchanges and relieve congestion on adjacent local roads.
The design of this possible beltway will result in a business having to close down and five residents in Dupont having to leave their homes to make way for retention ponds to collect storm water.
"It's always a difficult concept to understand and to try to place those to minimize the impacts as much as possible but ultimately in cases like this we do have to put these basins in and they result in relocations," said Brian Mostek, the total reconstruction and expansion manager with the PA Turnpike Commission.
Renee Kaminski-Mesaris says her mother's home would have a retention pond near it if the project is approved.
She believes it will greatly affect the property value of the home as well as her mother's quality of life.
"The property values are going to drop drastically. There's a water problem in that neighborhood to begin with and now you're going to bring more water problems. They're tearing down plain good houses just to put a pond up ,"said Kaminski-Mesaris.
John Kaminski says his mother will be directly affected by the project and will lose the home she's lived in for over 40 years.
Kaminski believes that expanding and adding a third lane to I-81 would solve the congestion issues on the interstate rather than adding this beltway.
"To have this project go through and my parents lose their house to eminent domain for a storm water basin for a project that doesn't make financial sense is very difficult for us to understand," said Kaminski.
Another will be held at Abington Heights High School Thursday night in Clarks Summit to hear from residents regarding the project.
