Interstate 81 in PA Is a Mess
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Easter morning, Chris and I loaded up my SUV and headed south to my sister's house in Carbondale Pennsylvania.
I remember Interstate 81 was in rough shape last time I was on it, but holy crap the winter did a job on that road.
My SUV is a very smooth ride. That's one of the things I love most about it. It's like riding a leather couch down the highway. But even my very smooth riding vehicle was no match for the horrible conditions of I-81.
Right from the New York State line all the way down to the New Milford exit, there were more potholes than on most dirt roads. It was pathetic. You would swerve to miss one and hit another. The left lane was little better than the right lane, but with all the traffic Easter morning, it was hard to get in the left lane and stay in the lane for any significant amount of time.
What I don't understand is why this road hasn't been fixed already. It's been in horrible shape for the last several years.
I remember when Pennsylvania started to allow fracking, one of the benefits was supposed to be extra money for the roadways. I don't know what roads they're spending that money on, but it sure as hell is not being spent on I-81, at least between the state line and the New Milford exit.
If my car didn't need a four wheel alignment before that trip, it definitely needs one now.
When we were driving back home during the early evening hours, I was expecting the same bumpy ride from New Milford to the New York State line. And there were some huge potholes going northbound as well, but you can see where PennDOT or somebody actually patched some of them, but not the majority of them.
If I have to travel to Pennsylvania again before 81 gets its potholes filled, if not a complete repaving, I think I will just take Route 11 all the way down. My car's suspension will thank me for it.