After nearly two months of being reopened, the entrance ramp to Interstate 81 south at North Main Avenue in Scranton will be closed.
Starting Friday, Jan. 4, the on-ramp at I-81 south at Exit 190 will be closed, state Department of Transportation spokesman James May said.
And this time it will stay closed until contractors are finished rehabilitating the five-span steel bridge over the Lackawanna River and the single-span steel bridge over North Main. Both are scheduled to be completed by June 21. The exit ramp from I-81 to North Main will remain open.
"Some business owners asked if we could keep the entrance ramp open, but once they looked at the plans, they realized it's not possible," Mr. May said. "The way we set it up has us working on that portion of the bridge - that ramp - for the least amount of time."
In early August, officials said the ramp would be closed for at least three months, starting on Aug. 22. At that point, in an effort to keep a steady stream of traffic coming to the area, workers converted the entrance ramp from North Main onto I-81 south into an exit ramp.
Work on the normal exit ramp was completed in early November, allowing PennDOT to convert the makeshift exit ramp back into an entrance ramp, officials said.
As part of an initiative to work with local businesses during the holiday season, PennDOT delayed work on the entrance ramp, reopening it Nov. 11.
"We thought it would be a great benefit to the businesses and customers in the area," Mr. May said. "Plus, we factored it into the original plan, so this didn't put us back."
When the on-ramp closes next month, motorists can access I-81 south by using I-81 north to Exit 191B, and then looping back around, PennDOT spokesman Mike Taluto said. The detour is about 2 miles.
"It hasn't been as bad as everyone, including business owners, expected," Mr. Taluto said. "Based on the feedback we have received, the traffic isn't all that bad."
The project, which is part of a $30 million plan to overhaul a portion of the interstate, is scheduled to be completed by May 22, 2014.
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter