PennDOT Warns of Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Delays on I-81 in Schuylkill County

Motorists traveling on Interstate 81 north or south are advised to be alert for significant traffic delays over the Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend between Exit 90 (PA 72) and Exit 104 (PA 125) due to a highway construction project in Pine Grove and Tremont townships in Schuylkill County. I-81 north and south is reduced to a single lane in this area.


Motorists should stay alert, anticipate slow-moving or stopped traffic and if possible seek alternate routes.

A project began in March to rehabilitate I-81 between the Lebanon County line and Exit 104 (PA 125). Work includes placing an unbonded concrete overlay, interchange improvements at Exits 100 (PA 443) and 104 (PA 125), guiderail updates, signage updates, new pavement markings, brush/tree cutting, and other miscellaneous construction.

All lanes will be open in this area of I-81 north and south on or before December 22, with lane restrictions returning in early March 2016.

Unbonded concrete overlay is a roadway resurfacing process in which a new layer of concrete is poured over an existing layer of pavement with an interlayer between them to break the bond between the two layers. The interlayer allows the layers to expand and contract independently of each other. By allowing the layers to move freely the new concrete surface is less prone to cracking and pavement deterioration.

Hi-Way Paving, Inc. of Hilliard, OH is the general contractor on the $43,894,275 project. Work is expected to be complete in May 2017.