Scranton officials outline $15.3 million Lackawanna Streetscape plan; council to vote next week on signal removals, two‑way conversions and parking changes

City engineers told the Scranton City Council they will begin a staged trial to remove some downtown traffic signals, install LED‑flashing stop signs, add painted and permanent bump outs, and convert selected one‑way streets back to two‑way traffic as part of the Lackawanna Streetscape project.

Engineer Riley, the project presenter, said the trial begins with advance notification and preparatory work at each intersection (crosswalk refresh, painted bump outs, temporary or permanent curb work). After preparatory work the stop signs with LED flashing perimeters will be uncovered and signals set to flash red. "We're gonna monitor it," Riley said, describing a monthly monitoring period after the flash‑red change; if no red flags appear the city may remove signals and continue at least a 60‑day monitoring period for intersections where signals are bagged and taken out of service.

The project budget is about $15.3 million, staff said; most of the funds are ARPA dollars and another funding component mentioned in the meeting requires a 50% match that the administration plans to meet using ARPA while it remains available. Staff warned the ARPA spending deadline in September 2026 makes the schedule tight and that substantive changes to the traffic proposal would require re‑submittal to PennDOT for new permits and could jeopardize funding.

Riley said the city’s traffic modeling showed benefits outside…