Residents are invited to offer input on ways to make roads in the Abingtons safer.
The nonprofit Valley in Motion will conduct a public outreach meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. at The Gathering Place in Clarks Summit. It is part of Lackawanna County’s “Safe Streets” project, where the county has embraced “Vision Zero,” a multinational road safety strategy that aims to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries.
The Lackawanna County commissioners approved a contract with Bowman Consulting Group last year for the project, of which Valley in Motion is a subcontractor. Also working on the project are Environmental Planning and Design and NV5.
Bowman is working to identify hazardous areas and develop a “Comprehensive Safety Action Plan” that will inform future safety improvement projects. The county will use the study to seek funds for such improvements.
Vehicles move along North Abington Road in Clarks Green Monday afternoon, June 16, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley in Motion President Gus Fahey said the engineers will present solutions to traffic issues and discuss them. The solutions, which include separate turn lanes, bike lanes, reinforced pedestrian corridors and roundabouts, are generic and have been applied in other places, he said. Fahey said solutions suggested by the public also can be included.
“We’re going to look at those as a way of helping to craft what will be the final engineering solution that will apply in these different places,” he said. “The idea is that we have these potential solutions out there, what do people think are most appropriate for this place?”
County officials and the engineering firm conducted surveys and focus groups late last year and earlier this year to gather feedback on problem traffic areas for pedestrians, bikers and motorists. It was during a focus group for residents of the Abingtons earlier this year that the State Street corridor in Clarks Summit, North and South Abington Road in Clarks Green and Winola Road in South Abington Twp. were identified as having significant issues for motorists and pedestrians, Fahey said. They also indicated that parts of Route 11 in the Abingtons are not safe for pedestrians and bikers to use.
Last year, State Street in Clarks Summit had an average traffic volume of 17,820 vehicles and 745 trucks, according to data from the state Department of Transportation. North and South Abington Road in Clarks Green had an average of 5,879 vehicles and 187 trucks. In South Abington Twp., there was an average of 7,857 vehicles and 481 trucks on Winola Road, according to the most recent data from PennDOT.
The project is taking into consideration crashes among cars, people and bikes, and the seriousness of the injuries.
The results will allow officials to apply for federal funding for the “Safe Streets” initiative.
“There are clear ways to reduce traffic fatalities, but what’s appropriate for where we live and what are the priority areas for where we live?” he said. “That’s why the county is doing this study, so we can hear from the people about what they think is best for where they live.”
Vehicles drive where Winola Rd. meets the Morgan Highway in S. Abington Twp. Monday afternoon, June 16, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Thursday’s meeting is the last public outreach meeting for the project, county Planning Department Manager Mary Liz Donato said. Other public engagement meetings, focused on engineering solutions, took place in Scranton and Carbondale.
She anticipates a draft plan by September.