Fetterman, Casey, Wild press PennDOT, Park Service to find a coordinated path at reopening Route 611

A lack of coordination between state and federal agencies is keeping Route 611 in northern Northampton County and southern Monroe County from being reopened, U.S. lawmakers said in a letter released Friday.

“The inability to find a path forward on the part of the two agencies has kept the road closed for over a year and become a burden on residents, businesses, commuters, and emergency vehicles,” said part of the letter from Pennsylvania’s two senators and two members of the House of Representatives.

Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, along with Reps. Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright, used the correspondence to urge PennDOT and the National Park Service to seek a compromise solution to reopening the 3-mile stretch of highway.

Route 611 has been closed since December 2022 after heavy rains led to a rock slide along Mount Minsi, which blocked the road. Since then, according to the letter, PennDOT has been advancing plans to secure the rock face and reopen the road, which requires an Emergency Special Use Permit from the NPS.

The senators said the Park Service has yet to issue the permit, citing its obligation to adhere to requirements set forth by four federal laws: the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966. In addition, concerns have been raised about the scope of work.

The rock slide on Mount Minsi, a defining feature of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area that has a high level of significance for the ancestral homelands of four federally recognized Native American tribes, needs to receive the permit for PennDOT to work at the site.

But without the permit, PennDOT has not been able to move forward with the planned course of action it deemed necessary to reopen the road, according to the lawmakers. The inability to find a path forward on the part of the two agencies kept the road closed for over a year and become a burden on residents, businesses, commuters and emergency vehicles that must follow detours around the closure.

The blocked stretch of road runs from the Portland-Upper Mount Bethel Township area to Delaware Water Gap. Local and state officials, along with residents and others have been seeking relief for months.

PennDOT said its goal was to reopen the road to a single lane as soon as possible. But an official timetable for that work has not been set; once all permits are obtained and design work is complete, PennDOT has said the first phase of construction is expected to take up to six months.

The Morning Call contacted PennDOT and the Park Service on Friday for responses. The federal lawmakers sent the letter to PennDOT Secretary Michael Carroll and Charles F. Sams III, director of the National Park Service. Other state and federal officials have earlier said they understand the difficulties associated with the road closure and have been moving as quickly as possible toward a resolution.

A private meeting in January called by Cartwright for lawmakers and agencies to discuss Route 611 did not result in any specific measures to move on the road repair. Cartwright, who had reached out to regional leaders from the state and federal agencies, requested PennDOT and the National Park Service attend a follow-up meeting to report back on their efforts.

That meeting is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 9, Cartwright spokesperson Wendy Wilson said.

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