DUNMORE – PennDOT Engineering District 4-0 announced that both northbound lanes of Interstate 81 at mile marker 142 in southern Luzerne County will be closed for a period of time on Tuesday between 8 a.m. and noon.
The closure is necessary so a temporary bridge pier can be removed as part of the ongoing reconstruction of the Route 924 bridge over the interstate.
The closure point is between exit 141, the Hazleton South Beltway and exit 143, Hazleton.
Motorists should plan on delays Tuesday morning north bound on Interstate 81 approaching this point.
There will be one 20-minute closure of both northbound lanes that could occur any time between 8 a.m. and noon, but very likely between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
After the pier is removed, traffic on the interstate will return to a single lane of traffic, with a right lane and shoulder restriction. Rehabilitation of the Route 924 bridge over the interstate is expected to begin within the coming weeks.
Emergency repair and encapsulation of the deteriorated pier has been underway for the last month. The contractor working on the project is Slusser Brothers/Pennsy Supply.