Lisa Wayland lives along Arlington Road in Stroud Township in a home her father Joe, an 80-year-old disabled military veteran, has occupied for roughly 35 years. Now she fears a proposed highway off-ramp tied to the Interstate 80 reconstruction could land within feet of her front door and consume nearly all of the family's driveway, leaving her uncertain how she'll park a car or wheel herself inside if her health declines further.
Wayland, who has multiple sclerosis and currently gets around with a cane and walker, filed an emergency petition alongside state Rep. Tarah Probst with the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board seeking to halt construction, according to WFMZ. A hearing on that petition is scheduled for November 17. As reported by mcall.com, the petition was formally submitted on October 27 and targets the first phase of the broader $935 million project to rebuild I-80 between west of Exit 303 and the bridge over Broadhead Creek.
The stop order Probst and Wayland are seeking would immediately halt construction, heavy grading and demolition tied to that first phase, the outlet reported. PennDOT has said work on the project began October 26 and was continuing as of October 28, when a spokesperson responded to the petition. The agency told 69 News it could not comment on specific project details because of the pending litigation, but has maintained publicly that the reconstruction complies with applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations.
A Driveway Reduced to Nearly Nothing
Wayland worries the proposed design could shrink her family's driveway to the point where parking becomes impossible and installing a wheelchair ramp becomes impractical. She has said she fears she may eventually need a wheelchair and won't have the space for either reliable parking or a viable ramp to her door. PennDOT has not provided a specific explanation addressing those parking and driveway concerns, and Wayland says she doesn't know whether the agency plans to build a replacement driveway or offer another means of reaching her property.
For Wayland, the uncertainty isn't new. She has said she's heard talk of I-80 reconstruction plans for as long as she can remember, reflecting a project that, per the same account, has been in the works for years before shovels hit the ground this fall. The interstate corridor running past her home serves residents, commuters, commercial trucks and travelers passing through the Pocono Mountains.
Probst's Broader Environmental Objections
Probst's petition goes beyond one driveway. She has accused PennDOT of lacking proper environmental permits and claims the agency aggressively pushed forward with physical demolition and site clearing even while administrative appeals over those permits remained pending, according to mcall.com. The filing also alleges a breach of the state Constitution's Environmental Rights Amendment and argues that splitting the project into phases allowed PennDOT to sidestep a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement.
Probst, described as a longtime critic of PennDOT, has separately raised concerns about a bald eagle's nest near the construction zone, nearby streams, and an archaeological site tied to a French and Indian War-era fort, as WFMZ has reported. She contends the reconstruction threatens natural and historical resources and should be scaled back to better fit the area, even as she acknowledges the highway needs improvements. The Pike County Courier has similarly noted her concern that current plans through Stroud Township may not adequately protect the area's water and local ecosystem.
What the Environmental Hearing Board Can Actually Do
The Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board reviews appeals involving certain decisions made by the state Department of Environmental Protection. An emergency order from the board could temporarily pause construction activities within its jurisdiction, but it would not automatically cancel the entire reconstruction or force a permanent redesign of the project. The permit allegations in Probst's filing remain allegations for now; no final ruling in the proceedings has established that violations occurred.
The scope of the broader project underscores what's at stake. The full plan calls for three lanes in each direction with shoulders 10 to 12 feet wide, built out across three separate sections, mcall.com reported. The first section alone is expected to cost about $232.8 million and wrap up in October 2032, while the overall project carries anticipated completion in 2032. Work on the nearby Exit 308 interchange, part of the same long-running effort, had already begun back in April 2022, according to Yahoo News.
For now, Wayland and her father are left waiting to see whether the board intervenes before more grading and demolition reshape the land around their home. PennDOT has stated its compliance with the law, but has not said what, if anything, it plans to do about the driveway that sits at the center of the family's fight.
