The epzik8 Webpage
Interstate 81 south - Hazleton to Union Township
Interstate 81 heads south from its interchange with Interstate 80, exit 151, in Butler Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Hazleton and Harrisburg respectively sit 6 and 86 miles from this sign. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The highway curves and crosses over St. John's Road. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
There is then a bridge over the Nescopeck Creek. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 145, Pennsylvania Route 93 toward West Hazleton, is two miles away. Past this sign, I-81 has another curve to the right. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The historic area of Conyngham is off exit 145. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The exit also leads to the Eckley Miners Village and the Hazleton campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
As it is in a busy area of the county, Exit 145 is home to numerous hotels. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 145 is now a mile away, and an instance of Pennsylvania's old-style mile markers, with every tenth-mile rendered in fractions, sits beside this sign. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 145 is now reached. The exit ramp forms part of the "red" or south detour for I-81 in this area. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The exit 145 gore. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The southbound lanes subsequently receive an onramp from PA 93. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 143, which intersects Pennsylvania Route 924, is just under two miles away. This is the exit most directly serving downtown Hazleton. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Food and gas options at the next exit are displayed here. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 143 is a four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange. After the onramp from PA 924 to I-81 south comes in, the highway passes under PA 924, which is marked on two separate green tabs on the overpass. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The next exit, 141 (not marked here), is the west end of Pennsylvania Route 424, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway, which opened in 2000. It leads to Pennsylvania Route 309, one of the major non-Interstates in this part of Pennsylvania. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 141 precedes another curve in I-81. As of 2020, construction was underway to extend PA 424 west to PA 924 to better serve the area's Humboldt Industrial Park. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The highway then passes under PA 424. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
I-81, with reassurance, now leaves Hazleton behind. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Frackville and Harrisburg sit 17 and 75 miles from this sign. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The Interstate passes under Haul Road, which leads to lakes surrounding Catawissa Creek nearby. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
I-81 now enters Schuylkill County and Pennsylvania's Coal Region. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The next exit, 138, indirectly leads to PA 309 and serves the boroughs of McAdoo and Tamaqua. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Drivers are treated to a wide curve and roadside rock formations prior to the exit. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The exit 138 gore and sign, with more rocks and trees surrounding it. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The onramp from the PA 309 collector road comes in soon afterward. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The exit is followed by I-81 reassurance, and the highway approaches a descent in elevation. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The Interstate crosses over Lofty Creek, followed shortly thereafter by Lofty Road. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
There is then a sharp curve to the left, followed by a bridge under Hazle Street. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 134, leading to the area of Delano, is, fittingly, 1 and 3/4 miles away. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 134 sits just ahead. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The highway then crosses over Grier Avenue, which is the intersecting road of the exit. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Exit 131, Pennsylvania Route 54 toward Mahanoy City and Hometown, is two miles away. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
The borough of Shenandoah can be reached from exit 131B, and Tuscarora and Locust Lake state parks from exit 131A. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Prior to the exit sits a weigh station. Photo taken 10-04-2016.
Various driver services are available at each exit. Photo taken 10-04-2016.