The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission recently awarded a $35.8 million contract for the rehabilitation of nearly 4 miles of roadway on the Northeastern Extension (I-476) between mileposts A101.32 and A104.25 in Bear Creek and Dennison townships in Luzerne County.

The project corridor is located 7 miles north of the Pocono Interchange (Exit 95) and 1 mile south of the Wilkes-Barre Interchange (Exit 105).This project will involve rebuilding the shoulders and existing travel lanes in both directions.This week, the contractor will begin installing traffic-control devices on the turnpike mainline while conducting intermittent mobile operations in either the right or left lane in both directions to establish the construction zone and reduce the speed limit to 55 mph.The work is weather permitting.Shoulder work will begin Sunday when the contractor will implement a single-lane pattern southbound, closing the right lane until 10 a.m. Aug. 14. Southbound lane restrictions will continue every week in August.Additional work will include drainage and guardrail replacement.With the exception of holidays, intermittent single-lane traffic patterns will be in place Sunday through Friday in both directions through March 2016.Once the shoulder work is near completion next spring, the contractor will set long-term single-lane traffic patterns reducing traffic on I-476 to one lane in each direction allowing crews to begin the full-depth rehabilitation of the Turnpike mainline.This work is expected to begin in March 2016 and extend through August 2016.The new pavement will provide a safer, smoother roadway for the nearly 17,000 turnpike customers who travel this stretch daily.This is the first of seven sections of roadway associated with the pavement and structural rehabilitation of 28 miles of the Northeastern Extension between mileposts A94 and A122 covering the counties of Carbon, Luzerne and Lackawanna through 2019.Information on this project is currently being added to the website at

www.paturnpike.com.Travelers can get turnpike traffic alerts by calling 866-976-TRIP (8747) or visiting the live Travel Conditions Map online at

www.paturnpike.com/webmap.The turnpike's smartphone app, TRIP Talk, streams audio advisories to iPhone and Android users so they can keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.To download the free app, visit

www.paturnpike.com/triptalk.