Portion of Interstate 81 in Scranton, Pennsylvania Renamed ‘President Biden Expressway’

The next time you travel to the Scranton area, you might notice that a section of Interstate 81 sports a new name.

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The area which, up until this week, the section of Interstate 81 which was called the 'Central Scranton Expressway' has been renamed to the 'President Biden Expressway." Pennsylvania Department of Transportation crews hopes to complete the installation of the final sign on the Interstate by Monday, October 4.

The section of Interstate 81 that is undergoing the name change is located in Lackawanna County and the official name is the “President Joseph R. Biden Expressway," shortened to the "President Biden Expressway" in order to fit on the road signs. Locals are expected to shorten the name even further and simply call it the "Biden Expressway."

In July of 2021, members of the Scranton City Council unanimously voted for the name change. Not only is the Central Scranton Expressway being renamed after the 46th president of the United States, but Spruce Street in Scranton is being renamed "Biden Street."

At the time of the Scranton City Council vote, Scranton City Council President William Gaughan told PA Homepage, “This had the most impact because when you’re coming down Interstate 81 you’re going to see that this is the home of our president, Joe Biden and then you are going to go right through the heart of our downtown on Biden Street.”

President Joe Biden was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Scranton on November 20, 1942, and lived in a three-story home on North Washington Avenue in the Green Ridge neighborhood of Scranton before his family moved to Delaware when he was ten years old.