PennDOT is breaking out the jackhammers on U.S. 1 South (Roosevelt Expressway), leaving motorists in the lurch as they roll out pavement repairs beginning next week with work continuing across the next three weekends, as reported by the department. Those late-night drives are about to get rough, with closures set from 6:00 PM to 5:30 AM starting Monday, April 22, right through to Friday, April 26, with a single lane shutdown looming between Fox Street and Interstate 76.

But that's just the prelude, brace yourselves for round two as an extended play of roadwork hits the next gear; expect a single lane closure and, for an added twist, a double lane shutdown will occasionally choke the life out of the expressway every weekend from 6:00 PM Friday to the wee hours of Monday at 5:30 AM, triggering inevitable backups from April 26 through May 13 snaking between the same stretch from Fox Street to I-76 – so better carve out some extra time or find an alternate route unless being parked on the pavement is your idea of a fun weekend.

Penndot isn't just doing this for kicks, though. This traffic tumult is all for a $100.6 million shot in the arm to the Wayne Junction Viaduct, a mission aiming to rehab the overpass and bless the SEPTA tracks and the Nicetown neighborhood beneath with a smoother commute on spruced up southbound lanes. As explained on the official PennDOT website, the lane closures are crucial for contractors to patch things up and slather on an epoxy overlay to extend the expressway's lifespan.