Work to reopen Route 611 through Delaware Water Gap to begin this week

The work to reopen Route 611 through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is scheduled to begin Wednesday, according to U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright’s office. The National Park Service approved a special use permit for PennDOT this week.

The highway between Northampton and Monroe counties has been closed for more than 21 months after a rockslide.

“This is what happens when we come together at all levels of government and I’m proud of what we accomplished as a team,” said Cartwright, D-8th District. “I want to thank State Senator Rosemary Brown and State Representative Tarah Probst and all the offices who joined the cause to get the necessary repairs expedited and to get Route 611 back up and running. Today’s announcement is proof that locking arms delivers real results for the people we serve.”

PennDOT said the project will take about eight to 10 weeks to complete and get two-way traffic flowing.

The approved plans include the installation of a temporary, free-standing rockfall barrier.

In July, PennDOT and the National Park Service reached a compromise to reopen Route 611. The federal agency expedited the permitting process because the project is temporary and not directly affecting resources.

The two agencies will continue to work on a permanent solution, Cartwright said.

PennDOT’s contractor plans to begin moving barriers and other safety equipment into the area Wednesday. PennDOT’s scope of work includes road grading and realignment. Workers will also install free-standing metal posts, concrete barriers and protective chain-link fencing.

Next week, PennDOT plans to install worker protection fencing, perform preliminary work to install the concrete barrier and begin the necessary excavation work. The week of Aug. 26, PennDOT plans to continue excavating and perform other work to install the concrete barrier.

Route 611 was closed between Upper Mount Bethel Township north of Portland and Delaware Water Gap Borough after heavy rains led to a rockslide along Mount Minsi in December 2022.

Negotiations between PennDOT and the National Park Service dragged out for several months. Dozens of pages of emails between PennDOT and the National Park Service obtained by The Morning Call through Freedom of Information Act requests showed a constant back and forth, with some email chains going over several weeks and seeming to demonstrate a lack of urgency that upset residents, business owners and local officials.

News of the project finally getting the green light came over the weekend in a social media post from Delaware Water Gap Mayor Larry Freshcorn.

“I received an email from the National Park Service on 8/9 that they passed along a permit to PennDOT for review and signature,” Freshcorn wrote in the post. “PennDOT will then return the permit to the Park Service for their signature and the work to open 2 lanes of travel can begin. As long as there are no issues we should see the road open for passage by mid October.”