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Residents press Wilkes-Barre council to force utilities to finish months-long street work; council pledges better tracking
Summary
Residents described months of repeated excavation, mud and failed repairs on Dana Street and other neighborhoods, urging the city to pressure utilities and contractors. Council members directed staff to explore stronger pave-cut enforcement, fines and a public tracking system and confirmed the city located a hot asphalt plant to allow permanent repairs.
Residents told the Wilkes-Barre City Council on Monday evening that repeated utility excavation and incomplete repairs have left some streets muddy and impassable for months. "Why is this street torn up again?" asked resident Virginia Thomas during public comment, describing mud tracked into houses on Dana Street between Hazel and Park Ave and saying the same work that was declared finished in December had been dug up again.
Council members acknowledged the problem and discussed several near-term steps. Public works staff said the city located an open hot-asphalt plant and will move from temporary "loose" patches toward permanent hot-asphalt repairs where feasible. A council member said the city should strengthen enforcement of its pave-cut ordinance to give the Department of Public Works (DPW) clearer deadlines, fines and tracking authority so utilities restore streets properly and on time.
Officials also proposed a public tracking page that would allow residents to see day-by-day status of utility restoration in their neighborhood. "We have to make them care," one council member said, urging better communication from utilities and stronger enforcement tools for the city.
Residents raised related concerns about sidewalks and property maintenance on East Main Street and North Main Street; the administration said staff would check ownership, look at grant options and provide the council with lists of streets scheduled for work and a list of blighted properties under the 2026 remediation plan. The council did not take formal legislative action on these items during the meeting but asked staff to return with documentation and next steps.
