(Coal Region Canary photo) It doesn’t look bad from a distance but you know if you drive from here outside Schuylkill Haven to Orwigsburg on Route 61, the highway is in desperate need of repair. That work begins Monday and is expected to last until November.
Absolutely one of the worst stretches of highway in Schuylkill County is getting some long overdue repair work done.
Motorists can expect delays along Route 61 from University Dr. outside Schuylkill Haven to Brick Hill Rd., Orwigsburg, starting today.
Thousands of vehicles use this stretch of highway every day. PennDOT says more than 20,000 motorists go north and south near University Drive at the campus of Penn State-Schuylkill every day. More than 12,000 vehicles go north and south near Brick Hill Rd. daily, too.
Route 61 Repair Project from Schuylkill Haven to Orwigsburg Begins Monday
According to information from PennDOT, road work planned for this 5-mile stretch of highway includes:
- Milling
- Patching
- Paving
- Bridge deck waterproofing
- New guiderail
- Line painting
It’s a $6.17 million project and was awarded to Allan Myers, of Worcester. Work’s expected to be completed in November.
PennDOT says traffic delays and new patterns will be updated on its 511PA app and website.
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Theresa R Price
May 24, 2021 at 12:13 pm
What about the stretch of Rt. 61 South between Frackville and St. Clair? That is in horrible shape!
Canary Commenter
May 24, 2021 at 6:03 pm
Definitely a terrible stretch of road, too. Hard to argue against either.
PTskooker
May 25, 2021 at 8:40 am
Rt. 183 is another terrible road, until you get to the Berks County line.
Canary Commenter
May 25, 2021 at 12:45 pm
Pretty incredible how it improves when you hit the county line, right? To the contrary, PA-61 when you cross over – especially between Wawa and Shoey – is a disaster. Probably worse than The Grade.
Skook pothole
May 26, 2021 at 2:13 am
That one pothole down by Penn State is like the size of locust lake, they should get all the road kill, and dump it in the potholes, and pave over it.
Canary Commenter
May 26, 2021 at 3:48 am
Creepy. Also, you’d need like a dinosaur or something.