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Interstate 81 south - Hazleton to Union Township
Interstate 81 is seen here at its interchange with Interstate 80, exit 151, in Butler Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Up ahead, exit 151A, a cloverleaf ramp, leads from I-81 south to I-80 east toward Stroudsburg, a Pocono Mountain hub city in Monroe County. I-81's southbound control city at the moment is Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
I-81 proceeds under the eastbound carriageway of I-80. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
The exit 151A gore sign sits at right. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
The southbound carriageway then receives traffic from I-80 east. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
This exchange is followed by an I-81 reassurance shield. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
The cities of Hazleton and Harrisburg sit a respective 6 and 86 miles away. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Here, the highway passes over St. Johns Road (SR 3040). Photo taken 07-14-2024.
The next crossing is over Nescopeck Creek, a Susquehanna River tributary. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
In front of the Butler Drive (SR 3034) overpass, a highway advisory AM radio frequency is posted. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
The next three exits, all serving Hazleton, are given advance notice by this green sign. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
A sharp, 45 MPH curve to the right greets drivers ahead. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Mile marker 147.8 sits within the curve. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Still within the curve, it crosses West Foothills Drive. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Exit 145, intersecting Pennsylvania Route 93 and serving West Hazleton, is two miles away. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
The borough of Conyngham is off this exit. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Also at this exit are the Eckley Miners Village and the Hazleton campus of Penn State. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Lodging at exit 145 is displayed at right. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Before the exit, I-81 enters Sugarloaf Township. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
The next blue service sign adds one additional hotel at the exit. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Exit 145 is just beyond a slight curve to the left. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
PA 93 is billed as Valmont Parkway on this overpass. Photo taken 07-14-2024.
Traffic from PA 93 enters southbound I-81 here. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 143, intersecting Pennsylvania Route 924, is 1¾ miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The Interstate crosses a railroad line, then Black Creek. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway is aligned straight for now, but will curve right soon. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The Interstate begins its curve here. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Approaching a tree-lined median, the highway's carriageways are positioned so that the southbound lanes are at a higher elevation. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Some of the gas and food options at exit 143 are displayed at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Hazleton's central business district can also be reached from this exit. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 143 lies ahead. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The exit 143 gore. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
PA 924 is marked twice on this overpass. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Up next is exit 141, intersecting Pennsylvania Route 424, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway. It provides I-81 with one means of access to Pennsylvania Route 309. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The Interstate curves leftward as the median becomes bush-lined again. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Unlike on the one-mile sign, the ½-mile advance sign for PA 424 acknowledges the exit number. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 passes over more railroad trackage prior to the exit. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
There is no PA 309 signage at the turn-off sign for exit 141. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 141 is situated within a wide curve to the right, which is visible at the exit gore. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Traffic coming from PA 424 enters at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 straightens out and leaves the Hazleton area behind. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The Interstate reaches the bottom of a hill and is greeted with reassurance. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A small variable message sign at right displays the time and distance to exit 124, about 16 miles ahead. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway next passes under Haul Road. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Soon afterward, I-81 departs Luzerne County for Schuylkill County, entering Kline Township. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 138, an indirect access point to PA 309 serving the boroughs of McAdoo and Tamaqua, is 1¾ miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway curves wide to the left again and approaches more trees. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Curving back right, the Interstate passes over another railroad track followed by an onramp from PA 309. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 138 sits just beyond another curve. PA 309 acts as an at-grade corridor between Philadelphia and the northern fringes of the Wyoming Valley via the western Lehigh Valley. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Meanwhile, there is a vertical height clearance of 14 feet, 1 inch for large trucks at bridges along the nearby section of PA 309. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 now reaches exit 138. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The Interstate curves sharply before receiving traffic from PA 309. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 reassurance follows the exit. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Following that, the highway straightens and clears out briefly. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
It then crosses Lofty Creek. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
This is followed by the Lofty Road (SR 1016) overpass. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 134, serving the community of Delano, is 1¾ miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Meanwhile, the highway again curves wide right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Then, Hazle Street crosses over the highway. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Still more railroad trackage is passed over next. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 reaches exit 134, whose intersecting road is Lakeside Avenue. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
After the exit comes more I-81 reassurance. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Between exits sits a weigh station for vehicles with weight restrictions. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 131, which meets Pennsylvania Route 54 running between Mahanoy City and Hometown, is two miles ahead. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The borough of Shenandoah can be reached from exit 131B. Tuscarora and Locust Lake state parks are off exit 131A. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Flashers direct trucks and buses to the weigh station when activated. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The weigh station was closed when these photos were taken. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Signs bearing the Eisenhower Interstate System logo are at the other end of the weigh station. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A Conoco and a Comfort Inn are at exit 131A. This contradicts a sign a few feet back implying there are no services at exit 131A. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 131B, for PA 54 west toward Mahanoy City, is "next right". Photo taken 07-15-2024.
An overhead sign assembly points the way to exit 131B and lists exit 131A as being ¼ mile away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 crosses PA 54 between ramps. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway reaches exit 131A, to PA 54 east toward the village of Hometown. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 pulls away from PA 54 with accompanying signage. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Frackville and Harrisburg are 7 and 63 miles from the sign at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
There is then a VMS displaying the time and distance to the forthcoming Interstate 78. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway now curves slight right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
It then proceeds straight through a swath of trees. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
For a brief moment, the Interstate emerges back into open land. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Signage at right states Pottsville's Yuengling brewery can be reached from the forthcoming exit 124. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 124, intersecting Pennsylvania Route 61 toward Frackville and St. Clair, is two miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The subsequent sign adds additional control cities of Shamokin northbound and Pottsville southbound. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The median becomes clear of trees approaching the exit. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 124B for PA 61 south to Frackville is "next right". Photo taken 07-15-2024.
¼ mile past exit 124B is exit 124A, to PA 61 south and St. Clair. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 124A was once the exit of the Schuylkill Mall, and a series of ramps between PA 61 and Schuylkill Mall Road accessing the property, now a warehouse, still exists. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The exit 124A gore sign. In all, PA 61 runs nearly 82 miles from just north of Reading in Berks County, to Sunbury in Northumberland County just west of a Susquehanna crossing. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
After exit 124, it comes time for I-81 reassurance again. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Minersville and Harrisburg are 7 and 55 miles from the sign at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Just further along, the Interstate enters Pennsylvania's State Game Land 326. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 119 intersects Highridge Park Road, and is two miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 119's control cities are Hecksherville and Gordon. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Trucks bound for Gordon are to remain on I-81 to exit 116. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
At least one hotel is at this exit. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 119 lies ahead. It is another of the corridor's four-ramp parclos: in this case, the southbound onramp is a cloverleaf. Multiple corporate distribution centers call this exit home. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 crosses Highridge Park here, at mile marker 118.7. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Beyond the exit, I-81 finds itself in a designated fog area. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Harrisburg is now 50 miles away; Carlisle, in Cumberland County, is 68. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 116, Pennsylvania Route 901 toward Minersville, is 1½ miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 116 also serves the Northumberland County borough of Mount Carmel. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
This exit's food option sign is blank. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 116 sits just ahead. A northwest-southeast thoroughfare, PA 901 acts as a bypass of sorts for the Coal Region cities of Ashland and Pottsville. This exit also represents I-81's halfway point in Pennsylvania. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 barrels downward before it passes under PA 901. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Traffic enters southbound I-81 from PA 901 at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 reassurance follows. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Drivers are then faced with a wide curve to the left. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Another leftward curve is then visible at mile marker 114.4. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 112 intersects Pennsylvania Route 25, serves the community of Hegins in the township of the same name, and is two miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The approach to the exit is straight and mostly, though not entirely, flat. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A sign at right points the way to exit 112. PA 25 is a 35-mile bypass of US 209 between Millersburg in northern Dauphin County, and Newtown further north in Schuylkill County. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The corresponding onramp from PA 25 enters southbound I-81 at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The Interstate promptly gets mobbed by more trees. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A break in the trees then occurs after a few tenths of a mile. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A replacement of the overpass ahead (Fountain Road), was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by Congress in 2021 and signed into law by President Joe Biden. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The bridge is followed by a stretch of fresh pavement, as it was at the time of these photos. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 107, intersecting U.S. Route 209 with control cities of Tremont and Tower City, is two miles away. I-81 has been paralleling US 209 east-west for the past several miles, but the Interstate is now preparing to turn to the south. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A sharp curve to the right sits ahead. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The southbound carriageway is now at a slightly higher elevation than the northbound. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The Interstate now maneuvers sharp left. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway glides downhill, still turning left, and nears a bridge. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
This bridge passes over Tremont's Center Street. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A second bridge then crosses a parallel railroad track. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Now facing due south, I-81 reaches exit 107. East of Tremont, I-81 meets PA 61 on the south side of Pottsville. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
US 209's bridge over I-81 is seen here. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 104, intersecting Pennsylvania Route 125 and serving the community of Ravine in Pine Grove Township, is two miles from the sign at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
At mile marker 106, the highway begins winding its way rightward. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
It then begins curving back left at exit 104's one-mile advance sign. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
After straightening out and going slightly downhill, there is another curve right, with fresh asphalt. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 104 is at the bottom of a slightly steeper hill. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The exit 104 gore. PA 125 connects with US 209 near Tremont back north. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Southbound I-81 collects traffic from PA 125 at right, as it curves sharp left again. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
There is then an I-81 reassurance shield beside a wall of rocks. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Once again, the Interstate enters a fog area. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
At mile marker 103.6, the highway begins curving right again. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Amid this curve, I-81's orientation briefly turns back west. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Straightening out, the highway enters a deer crossing area. This begins I-81's descent down Blue Mountain, which has an interchange named for it on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) further to the west in Franklin County. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Further along, just behind mile marker 102.1, I-81 enters Lebanon County and Bethel Township. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 100, a meeting with Pennsylvania Route 443 toward Pine Grove, is in two miles. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Lodging options are available at the forthcoming exit. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway goes on to cross Oak Grove Road at mile marker 100.8. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
This exit marks the beginning of a red (south) detour for this portion of I-81. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 100 is imminent. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Eastbound PA 443 in this area has a truck vertical clearance of 14 feet, 2 inches. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Exit 100 is at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The highway receives the onramp from and then crosses PA 443. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 reassurance follows. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
At mile marker 99.1, the Interstate crosses Swatara Creek. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Afterward, a sign at right states Harrisburg and Carlisle are 32 and 50 miles away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The next two miles of I-81 constitute another deer zone. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Subsequently, the highway encounters a stretch of level elevation. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
A sharp curve to the left is approaching as I-81 nears the Swatara Gap, the centerpiece of its Blue Mountain crossing. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The curve begins here. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
After the curve, I-81 is almost at the bottom of Blue Mountain, and has a concrete barrier along its right shoulder. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Having completed its descent, signage appears for the designated exits for the nearby Air National Guard office (90) and the main gate and truck entrance of Fort Indiantown Gap (85). By now, I-81 has crossed from Swatara into Union Township. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Food options at exit 90 are listed at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
An onramp from PA 72 is at right. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
I-81 reassurance comes afterward. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
The exchange with I-78 is ¾ of a mile away. Photo taken 07-15-2024.
Finally reaching exit 89, I-81 turns due west and will remain that way until beyond Carlisle. I-78 heads east through the Lehigh Valley, northern New Jersey and out to lower Manhattan in New York City, a distance of 146 miles. Photo taken 07-15-2024.