Hazleton to see $30 million of investment over next three years

11.15.2004


Hazleton, PA - The City of Hazleton will begin to construct its intermodal center downtown.

Developers of the rejuvenated Markle Building will begin construction on CityScape, the addition of new storefronts and a side entrance to the building.

The project to upgrade Broad Street in downtown Hazleton to correct many long-standing transportation problems will begin.

Widening the Airport Beltway and Route 924 near the Humboldt Industrial Park will also begin.
Throw in the various mine reclamation projects that are either underway or are anticipated to begin, and the sum total is that the face of Hazleton will change substantially.

In short, in the next two years, projects totaling well over $30 million will begin.

The original plan by the state Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) was to do the Route 924 project this year, and the Corridor and Airport Beltway projects next year.

That would have made downtown Hazleton a mass of construction.

Instead, while the Intermodal, Markle and Route 924 projects will be done in 2005, the Corridor and Airport Beltway projects are put off until 2006.

The Intermodal building will be, roughly, the shape of the state of Texas . The "panhandle" will be the former Elton building, which will be torn down to give the facility a presence on Broad Street.

There will be retail there, and along Church Street . On the Laurel Street side, there will be a bus depot and garage for Hazleton Public Transit buses.

The upper floors - which will be built both above the garage over the present Lehigh Valley parking lot and the Elton building, making passage through Mine Street limited to vehicles that are not tall - will be a parking garage.

Mayor Louis Barletta said $4 million in state and federal funds have been earmarked for the project - so far. That will be enough to build the first two floors of the structure.

Barletta is waiting for release of the federal funds. If that happens, construction will begin in the spring.
But this winter, Barletta will be working to expand the project - because he has had interest in more retail space than he can accommodate under the building's present configuration.

Down the street, construction will begin soon - but not in earnest - on the CityScape project. Most of the construction work will wait until spring.

About 4,000 square feet of retail space will be created in three to four storefronts - depending upon the space requirements of tenants - along Broad Street , where buildings were torn down.

A side entrance to the Markle - a hotel is planned for its upper floors - with a canopy will also be built. The remaining ground will be paved and turned into a parking lot that will serve the building. The nearby Hazleton Parking Authority parking garage will also provide handy parking.

Widening Route 924 between the Interstate 81 exchange and the Luzerne-Schuylkill County line has become necessary, because of the huge amount of development along the highway, including the expansion of the Humboldt Industrial Park , and the Eagle Rock resort development.

There will be four or five lanes, wider shoulders, and key intersections will be signalized because of all of the growth there.
Romark Logistics built a 525,000-square-foot distribution center right at the front of the Humboldt Industrial Park . That means more trucks coming and going in the park.

Also, the park has been further developed, with several new industries in the 300-acre Southwest section - part of the original park that was never developed - and 550-acre Humboldt West, which was originally developed as a site where leaders tried to attract one, large industry.

Add to the new, 700-acre Humboldt North Industrial Park across Route 924 from the original park, and the new, 200-acre Humboldt East, between I-81 and the eastern boundary of the original park, and anyone can see how just the expansion of the industrial park will increase traffic, including truck traffic in and out of the parks.

Route 924 is the main access road for the 4,000-acre Eagle Rock resort.

In recent years, developers of Eagle Rock have added a 46-room hotel, spa, and fitness center, to the golf course, restaurant, ski area and equestrian center it already had. There are also several hundred new homes in the development.

This development, coupled with the development of numerous support businesses, including a 16,500 retain strip mall, two convenience stores/service stations, is congesting traffic even more.

In 2006, the Broad Street Corridor project and the widening of the Airport Beltway are on the drawing board.

The Corridor project is being designed to improve traffic flow along Broad Street , from Washington Avenue (15th Street ) in West Hazleton , and the Heights Beltway.

PENNDOT has some definite ideas what will be done in the project. There will be turning lanes, a traffic flow update, and new lighting.

Broad Street's wide sidewalks will have to be narrowed a bit to make room for the new turning lanes. But if one-way streets remain as is, only one extra lane will be needed.

PENNDOT is considering several options on the sidewalks. Safety is a large component of the project. The McKenna's Corner intersection of Route 93 in West Hazleton will be improved.

Bob Doble, the district engineer for the state Department of Transportation (PENNDOT), said that intersection will be improved by at least one, if not two buildings being taken down.

PENNDOT will look at the width of the sidewalks, after concerns expressed by West Hazleton residents about narrowing sidewalks in favor of widening the road.

There will be a compromise between providing for adequate parking and sidewalk safety. Parking will be provided for, but at the corners, three or four parking spots may be eliminated to make way for wider cuts for turns. Pedestrian safety will also be taken into consideration.

Bob Doble, chief engineer for PENNDOT's district office in Dunmore , said adding the third lane to Broad Street has its advantages, and drawbacks at the same time.

"There is a lot of concern for accidents, which I believe the third lane will alleviate," Doble said. "It will take a lot of people out of the traffic flow. But there is the potential for speeding."

The widening of the Airport Beltway - which includes a second left turn lane for northbound Route 309 traffic - actually begun with the $1.5 million reconfiguration of the intersection with Route 309 this year.
The Airport Beltway - the scene of many rear-end crashes because it is only two lanes - can no longer accommodate the amount of development along its path - the large Sheetz gas station, Wal-Mart, the Beltway Commons, the Independence Toyota dealership, and several small, strip shopping centers and retail outlets.