Route 1009 (Market Street) over the Susquehanna River Bridge Project

County: Luzerne
Municipality: City of Wilkes-Barre
State Route: Route 1009
Local Name: Market Street
Project Type: Bridge Project
MPMS Number: 115819
Proposed Construction Start: Spring 2028
Proposed Construction End:  Falls 2029
Last Updated: October 23, 2025

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) invites the public to a plans display on November 12, 2025 at 7 PM at the Holy Redeemer High School, 159 S Pennsylvania Ave, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 regarding Route 1009 Market Street Bridge Preservation over the Susquehanna River, from the signalized intersection of Route 1009 (Market Street)/ Route 2004 (River Street) and K055 (W. Market St.) in the City of Wilkes-Barre to a location approximately 875’ south of the Route 1009/1st Ave intersection in Kington Borough.

Project information and plans will also be available online to the public from November 12, 2025 through December 12, 2025.

The purpose of the plans display is to provide a project overview, display and review the maintenance and protection of traffic, and gather feedback from the public.

The project will address structural deficiencies while preserving the existing bridge to maintain a safe and efficient crossing over the Susquehanna River. The bulk of the structure repairs will be concrete repairs and masonry throughout the structure, cleanup of debris, and scour mitigation. A PPC overlay on the deck is also proposed. Associated roadway work will include pavement rehabilitation, ADA ramp reconstruction, drainage improvements, signal improvements, and signing/pavement marking upgrades. All improvements are due to the structural deficiencies of the existing bridge built in 1929. The Bridge is a 12-span reinforced concrete arc consisting of six (6) closed spandrel arches and six (6) open spandrel deck arches. The total structure length is 1274’ and the maximum span length is 130’. Span 1 crosses over River Common, spans 2 thru 7 cross over the Susquehanna River, spans 8 thru 10 and 12 crosses over Nesbitt Park, span 11 crosses over the Luzerne County Levee Trail.

The bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. No adverse effect is anticipated since the preservation work will repair the structure in-kind. In final conditions the bridge will maintain its existing horizontal and vertical alignments, skew, and width.

Traffic in both directions is anticipated to be maintained via part-width construction throughout construction. Two (2) lanes will remain open into the City of Wilkes-Barre and one (1) lane to Kingston Borough, except for when the work zone is in the center of the bridge, this would lead to one (1) lane being open in each direction. Access to driveways and the intersections will be maintained throughout construction. Since the bridge is a main connection to the city, a closure would cause significant impacts to vehicle traffic and pedestrian traffic. There will be temporary signal adjustments to Route 1009/Route 2004/K055(W. Market St.) and Route 1009/Dawes Avenue intersections due to the shift in traffic flows.