Monday, Oct. 26, 2026

I-80 Night Work, Jug to Stroudsburg, Tax Hike Floated

The Week’s Weather · Monday

70°High38°Low

A Dry Week With One Chilly Night. Monday is sunny and about 70°F, a perfect fall day. The only cloud today is the start of nighttime lane restrictions on I-80 (more on that below). Monday night dips to the upper 30s. Tuesday and Wednesday settle into the low 60s. Tuesday night is the one to watch, with lows from the upper 20s to the upper 30s, so cover the garden or bring the plants inside. Wednesday night is back in the mid-30s.

Thursday climbs to the upper 60s, and Friday even reaches the low 70s. Halloween Saturday looks dry too, with highs from the upper 60s to the low 70s, so you won’t be battling with your kids to put a coat over their costumes.

Top story

I-80 Rebuild Starts Tonight at Exit 303

Illustration of an I-80 work-zone sign board in Stroud Township showing Exit 302 and Exit 304 night lane restrictions, under the headline The I-80 rebuild starts tonight

Monroe Unfiltered

After all the plans, the open houses and the pushback, the big I-80 rebuild in Stroud Township starts tonight, Monday, Oct. 26. The first thing drivers will notice is nighttime lane restrictions in both directions between Exits 302 and 304 for several weeks, according to PennDOT and the Pocono Record. That runs from the Bartonsville exit (302) to the Snydersville exit (304). After that, expect sporadic restrictions on I-80 and Route 611. Translation: if you cross Stroud Township after dark, make sure you have Waze open.

What is being built. This first phase reconstructs and widens I-80 from west of Exit 303 to Exit 304, rebuilds the Exit 303 interchange with a new structure connecting to Route 611, and reconstructs Route 611 between Lifeline Road and Bridge Street. It is the first phase of a larger rebuild running from west of Exit 303 to Exit 307.

What we get. Under PennDOT's earlier plans for the full corridor, I-80 would grow from two lanes each way to three with full shoulders, bridges over the highway would be replaced and widened, ramps lengthened and noise walls added, all aimed at less congestion and a safer road. Those plans date from before construction began, so details may have changed.

Not everyone is cheering. The pushback goes back at least to last October, when a bald eagle's nest turned up along the I-80 corridor in Stroudsburg and Rep. Tarah Probst called for the project to be scaled back and redesigned. PennDOT said it complies with all federal and state eagle protection laws. We covered the nest and an archaeological dig for the lost Fort Hamilton, near Ann Street, in our April 21 edition. Those sites are in Stroudsburg, not at the Exit 303 work zone, though reports last fall said the nest's federal buffer could reach into this first phase. Now the machines are arriving anyway.

Who uses it. Everybody. PennDOT says this stretch of I-80 carries an average of 45,781 vehicles a day, and Route 611 carries 20,364.

The price tag. H&K Group, Inc. of Skippack is the general contractor on the $232.9M project, which is due to finish in October 2032. That is six years of orange barrels, so get used to them.

And as if that is not enough… On Tuesday, Oct. 20, PennDOT showed plans at Northampton Community College's Pocono Campus for a separate I-80 and Route 33 project that is currently planned to begin in 2030. Public comments on that one are open through Friday, Nov. 13.

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📋 the Daily Rundown

Gas Prices, and Diesel Is Near a Record

Regular in East Stroudsburg averages $4.37 a gallon, flat from a week ago, down 9 cents from a month ago but up $1.22 from a year ago, according to AAA. If you have a truck, you know that diesel is the real pain. The East Stroudsburg average is $6.63, about half a cent shy of the record of $6.64 set Tuesday, Oct. 20, and $2.74 more than a year ago.

Stroudsburg Keeps the Jug

Stroudsburg beat East Stroudsburg South 38-28 on Friday (Oct. 23) in the 82nd Little Brown Jug, according to the Pocono Record. Joshua Ivers-Green caught three touchdown passes and had more than 100 receiving yards before halftime, Jarel Jackson added two late rushing touchdowns (9 and 24 yards), and Gabriel Ferguson kicked a 38-yard field goal at halftime. The loss knocks South out of the division title race. Pleasant Valley also won Friday, 27-26 over Pocono Mountain West, so our "four-way tie" is now a three-way tie: Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley and Pocono Mountain East share the lead. Stroudsburg and Pleasant Valley meet in Week 10.

East Stroudsburg Budget Workshop Tonight

East Stroudsburg Borough Council holds its 2027 budget workshop tonight (Monday, Oct. 26) at 7 p.m., on Webex and the borough's Facebook page (this is East Stroudsburg Borough, not Stroudsburg Borough). The draft budget on the agenda would raise total millage from 8.9654 to 10.2655, or about $1.30 more for every $1,000 of assessed value. On a home assessed at $100,000, that is about $130 a year. Trash fees would rise about 9.5%: the 32-gallon cart from $316 to $346, the 64-gallon from $478 to $523 and the 96-gallon from $646 to $707. Council is also asked to consider advertising a Dec. 1 hearing at 7 p.m. to adopt the budget. The agenda has some labeling inconsistencies, so treat these as draft numbers until council votes.

Vigil Set for Great Wolf Lodge Victims

The Pocono Record reports that the Bradford County YMCA will hold a candlelight vigil in Towanda for Charles Harrison and his 3-year-old son Tristan on Monday, Nov. 2. Police say the two were killed in a guest room at Great Wolf Lodge in Pocono Township, where they were found on Monday, Oct. 12. Metallica Rose Harrison, 27, of Towanda, is charged with two counts of criminal homicide and is presumed innocent.

📅 the Week Ahead

Tuesday, Oct. 27

Highlights only. The full list of local government meetings is at localunfiltered.com.

Last day to apply for a mail ballot. It is also the deadline to email the Smithfield Township manager for party status in the Gateway data center hearing, and the Pocono Chamber hosts a Hospitality Job Fair and a Member Mixer.

Wednesday, Oct. 28

Smithfield Township supervisors open the Gateway data center hearing at 6 p.m. at J.T. Lambert Intermediate School. As we reported Friday, the Oct. 28 session only settles who gets party status, and the hearing that decides anything comes about a month later. Barrett Township supervisors are also expected to resume the shooting range hearing at 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31

Mischief Night Mayhem on Friday, then Halloween on Saturday with The Pink Room: Halloween Edition, per the Pocono Chamber's calendar.

Looking further out

On Monday, Nov. 2, the Towanda vigil is at 6 p.m. (see above). Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day, the same day as Metallica Harrison's preliminary hearing.

Also in today’s Buzz

What Were Ya Thinkin’?Police Name Suspect in Camelback Lodge Disturbance and Chase

Police have identified Terrae K. Hinds, 35, of the Bronx, after a domestic disturbance at Camelback Lodge and a pursuit into Bartonsville on Wednesday (Oct. 21), according to FOX56. According to CrimeWatch, witnesses reported seeing a male strike a female in the face multiple times. The suspect then fled the scene in a black Audi with an invalid registration. Pocono Township police have warrants for him, led by a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude, plus five more charges, according to CrimeWatch. It is not clear whether he is in custody. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

What Were Ya Thinkin’?Stroud Township Man Charged With Striking a Toddler on Main Street

Frank A. Zrillo, 47, of Stroud Township, is accused of striking an 18-month-old boy with an open hand on the 500 block of Main Street in Stroudsburg shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, according to the criminal complaint reported by the Pocono Record. Stroud Area Regional Police Officer Tim Downey wrote that, according to the boy's mother, Zrillo approached them and struck the child, who was not injured. Zrillo told the officer the 18-month-old had attacked him. Zrillo was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, and the officer petitioned for his involuntary commitment, writing that he is a danger to others. When the complaint was filed in mid-October, Zrillo was still in a treatment facility under an extension of that commitment. He is charged with simple assault, a first-degree misdemeanor, and a harassment citation. His preliminary hearing is Thursday, Nov. 19. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Silver LiningsGrounded in Monroe

Monroe County Has Protected 131 Farms. Monroe County has 131 farms and 8,690 acres permanently preserved from development, at a cost of about $27.7M, according to the Pocono Record. The most recent addition is the 21-acre crop and livestock farm of Robert W. Field in Hamilton Township, the county easement we reported in our April 27 edition. It drew $213.8K in county money and $13.4K from the state. Pennsylvania leads the nation, with 6,781 farms preserved since voters backed the program in 1988.

Dozens Gathered for the "I Am Jane Doe" Rally. The rally we previewed Friday took place Saturday (Oct. 24) at the Monroe County Courthouse Plaza in Stroudsburg, according to WNEP. Dozens attended to raise awareness about sexual violence and show solidarity with every "Jane Doe," part of rallies held across the country after the accusations against fraternity members at Cornell University. Organizer Julia Rettle told WNEP that women have been telling her how meaningful the event is to them. If you or someone you know needs help, Safe Monroe's 24-hour hotline is 570-421-4200.

Have a great week, Monroe County.

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