Hazleton schools get second escape route. Tobyhanna’s long-planned I-380 fix finally has funding. And Lackawanna gets $4.4 million for crumbling bridges.
POCONO PINES, MONROE COUNTY — For years, township manager John Jablowski has been pitching anyone who would listen on his vision for the Route 940 corridor: relocate the dangerous I-380 southbound exit ramp, realign Stillwater Drive, create a unified commercial district near Kalahari Resort.
On Monday, December 22, 2025, Harrisburg finally wrote the check.
Tobyhanna Township landed $800,000 from Governor Josh Shapiro’s latest round of Multimodal Transportation Fund grants — part of roughly $8.6 million heading to Monroe, Lackawanna, and Luzerne counties in a $47 million statewide infrastructure package.
The grants won’t fix everything. But for communities that have spent years chasing state dollars while watching bridges rot and traffic worsen, Monday’s announcement was welcome news.
The 940 Corridor: “You’ve Got to Keep Your Eyes Open”
Anyone who’s merged onto I-380 from Route 940 near Pocono Summit knows the problem. The interchange sits amid a patchwork of commercial development — FedEx, gas stations, the Kalahari crowds — and the geometry doesn’t work.
“It’s an intersection where you have to keep your eyes open,” one Long Pond resident told WNEP in a previous interview about the corridor. “You’ve got to be on the lookout.”
The $800,000 grant advances a project the township has pursued since at least 2017, when supervisors first began discussing traffic signal permits for the I-380 northbound off-ramp.
The township has already rezoned 29 parcels to create a commercial corridor on both sides of 940, betting that the infrastructure improvements would attract development. A dozen properties near the proposed ramp relocation got swept into the rezoning.
It’s unclear when construction will begin. The grant covers roadway realignment and widening, but the broader project — including Stillwater Drive relocation and a new road across from FedEx Drive — will require additional funding.
Hazleton’s Enrollment Crisis Gets an Escape Valve
The Hazleton Area School District has a problem most Pennsylvania districts would envy: too many kids.
Enrollment has grown roughly 8% annually for the past eight years, making Hazleton Area the ninth-largest district in the state with more than 13,000 students. The district has converted swimming pools into classrooms, carved learning spaces from libraries, and opened a cyber academy that now serves 732 students who might otherwise need seats that don’t exist.
Now the district is getting $1 million to build a second access road to its North Academic Campus — the sprawling complex on West 23rd Street that includes the high school, career center, and multiple sports facilities.
The new road will connect the campus to Hazle Township Boulevard, crossing Black Creek via a new bridge. A walking and biking trail is part of the plan.
It’s not just about traffic flow. The district is planning a $150 million elementary school for 1,200-plus students, set to open in 2029. Developer Robert Mericle has offered to donate planning and site work for an $18 million indoor sports center nearby. The access road makes all of it more feasible.
“This investment is a major step forward for our district and our community,” Superintendent Brian Uplinger said in a statement.
The total project cost is $4.1 million. The state grant covers about a quarter of it.
Lackawanna’s Bridge Problem
Lackawanna County is sitting on a pile of infrastructure debt — literally.
County CFO Dave Bulzoni arrived in October 2022 to find no plan for maintaining roads and bridges. Shortly after, a bridge went down. Since then, the county has been scrambling to catch up, recently announcing a $29 million borrowing plan to address years of neglect.
Monday’s grants help.
The county will receive $3 million to replace the Plank Road bridge in Clifton Township — one of multiple spans on the county’s critical repair list. A temporary bridge is already in place while officials plan the permanent fix.
Scranton gets $1.4 million to replace the Ash Street Bridge, part of a broader bundle of city-owned bridge replacements that PennDOT is managing. The Elm Street Bridge closed earlier this year for a similar project; the Green Ridge Street Bridge is under construction with a temporary crossing in place.
Smaller Grants, Local Impact
The remaining Luzerne County projects are smaller but significant for the communities receiving them:
White Haven gets $350,000 for streetscape improvements and to close a gap in the D&L Trail network. The 165-mile trail system currently requires users to navigate through downtown on Main Street between the northern and southern trailheads. The project would create a dedicated multi-use path, part of a broader revitalization effort in the borough, which earned Blueprint Community designation from the state last year.
Wyoming Avenue Development Group receives nearly $1.73 million for infrastructure at a troubled 16-acre site in Exeter that previously attracted a 40-person homeless encampment. The property has two mine shafts requiring remediation and deteriorated infrastructure from a mobile home park that housed flood victims after Agnes in 1972. Development plans call for a grocery store, convenience store, and retail space.
Avoca Borough gets $241,076 for sidewalk, crosswalk, and signage improvements on McAlpine Street, where trains frequently block traffic and tractor-trailers dominate the road.
Wright Township receives $117,177 for pavement reconstruction and bike lanes on Walden Drive. A township engineer told residents earlier this year the project would include shared bike and walking lanes along the roadway.
What’s Next
The grants come from PennDOT’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, which has distributed more than $143 million since Shapiro took office. The next application window opens January 5, with awards announced in late 2026.
For local officials who’ve spent years competing for state dollars, the message is clear: the money is there, but you have to fight for it.
“Infrastructure is essential to Pennsylvania’s growth and to connecting people with opportunity,” Shapiro said in announcing the grants. “When we invest in safer roads, bridges, ports, and transit, we’re creating jobs, strengthening local economies, and making it easier for people to get where they need to go.”
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