McADOO - The McAdoo exit of Interstate 81 will close for about four months starting Thursday as road crews begin to rebuild the four ramps that connect the exit to I-81.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has established detours to bypass the area.
Sean Brown, a spokesman for PennDOT's District 5-0 office in Allentown, said both on-ramps and off-ramps at McAdoo will remain closed until the work is complete, which is expected to be about July 1.
When the exit closes, traffic will be rerouted as follows:
- Traffic from Route 309 to the I-81 north on-ramp will use Route 309 north to Route 424 west to I-81 north.
- Route 309 to the I-81 south on-ramp traffic will use Route 309 south to Route 54 west to I-81 south.
- Traffic for the I-81 North to Route 309 off-ramp will be detoured to the Mahanoy City/Hometown exit 131 of I-81 to Route 54 to Route 309.
- The I-81 South to Route 309 off-ramp traffic will be channeled to the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce exit 141 of I-81 to Route 424 east to Route 309 south.
The northbound ramps to I-81 from the two exits south, Mahanoy City/Hometown exit 131, will also be closed for construction work until about April 30.
The detours developed for that work are:
- Traffic from the Route 54 to the I-81 North on-ramp will be detoured to Route 54, Morea Road, to I-81 South to Route 61 (at Exit 124 Frackville/Saint Clair) to I-81 North.
- The I-81 North off-ramp to Route 54 will be rerouted to I-81 North to the Delano exit 134 to Grier City Road to I-81 South to Exit 131.
Brown also said guiderails between the Mahanoy City/Hometown exit and Exit 112, which accesses Route 25, will be replaced.
The road work, Brown said, is part of the ongoing I-81 reconstruction project that began last year with the resurfacing of I-81 between the Luzerne County line and the Mahanoy City/Hometown exit.
Flashing signs alerting drivers to the closing of the McAdoo exit have been activated along I-81.