East Stroudsburg: Officially Now Having Nation's LONGEST Commutes (Progress: 2013, rail)

[fisheye]

Nexis4Jersey,

I hope that you are right. It is just that I am 63. I have actually lived in Monroe County when we did have rail service. I have also heard all the promises many times before. I also know what the Peterskill looks like. I also know what the rail tunnel/bridge just after the Route 447 split over Route 191 looks like. The rail overpass over Route 611, in Mount Pocono, needs work. What I am saying is that there are many problems to overcome and I do not see the funds. I don’t even see the public plans for this endeavor. Post any links, that you might have, so we can scrutinize the plans.

By the way; I mentioned the rail bridge over Route 191. Just before that rail bridge is a highway bridge over the Brodhead Creek. According to the following article work will stop on this bridge: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100813/NEWS/8130370
This is all about funding. Other bridges are also affected. However; I am pointing out this one because of it’s condition. Take a good look at the bridge if you are coming south on Route 447 and turning north on Route 191. If you look closely, under the bridge, you will see piers with crumbling concrete and rebar showing. The weight limit on the bridge has been reduced. In Monroe County alone; there have been at least nine recent bridges that have had their weight limits reduced. Many of these are on key state secondary roads.

Commuters and motorist will insist on good roads long before we force new rail lines.

[ron46]

"SMH at the disregard for people who want to provide a better quality of life for thier families by moving to a smaller community!!!"

Ya know I'm getting tired of hearing this all the time .
Why not stay where you are and improve the community ?

Easier to run ?

Wait ! I see--those "locals" in Pa. have a nice place let's just go there .

Just a thought

[lmajr1975]

i have been living in stroudsburg area since 2003, i commute to manhattan by car then by port authority bus, from november to september its very little traffic and most times even none and i leave around 6:30am to 6:45am and im in manhattan around 8:10am to 8:30am depends, traffic is pretty bad only in mid september to october and then around april to may so i leave still around 6:10am and in manhattan around 8:30am, i finish work 5pm and im always home around 7pm, so if you work closer then manhattan its only around an hour drive with traffic so not bad because i use to live in jersey and worked in jersey and still took me 45min to 1 hr to get to work and my work was only 15min away without traffic took. also there is a train station in mt.olive, nj exit 30 off rt.80 and one in dover, nj and denville, nj, without traffic i am in ny around 1 hr.

[2nd trick op]

Fisheye posted

I still think that either the renovation or demolition of the historic Peterskill railroad bridge is key to any improvements in the commute. The Peterskill is the bridge that Route 80 passes under four miles into NJ. It was built in 1929 I was told. It is now in a state of disrepair. It is also a whopper of a bridge - as far as how many tons of concrete are in it’s structure. It restricts expansion of Route 80 - the shoulders (under this bridge) are too narrow for lane expansion.

The bidge over the Delaware was parrt of a project called the "Lackawanna Cutoff", completed in 1911, and substituting a state-of-the-art ralroad, with milder grades and fewer cuves, for an older line that meandered from Stoudsburg to Dover via Washington and Hackettstown. Several low-priority passenger moves continued to use what was referred to as the "Old Road" and it was the site of a grisly wreck in the mid-1930's, chronicled in a dispay at Steamtown in Scranton.

And immediately upon completing that work, the Lackawanna began the "Nicholson Cutoff", bypassing the old rod via Hop Bottom in favor of one between Factoryville and Alford. That line fatured the spectacular viaduct directly above the village of Nicholson, and still sees about 4-6 trains daily in each direction.

My point here is smiply "Over the long run, efficiency will always rule the day" When the Lackawanna lost most of its raison d'etre in the wake of th founding of Conrail, the former Delaware and Hudson (now part of Canadian Pacfic) bought the line and shut down its paralell line ia Carbondale, Forest City and Ararat Mountain.

And as the NJT rail operations come closer to Andover and Philipsburg, it won't suprise me to see more of those long-distance commuters swapping a long drive for a short one connected to a rail journey.....especially if it lets them start their day a bit later. The free exchange of goods, opinions and human interactions will usually determine things over the long run. Whether they caer to the local provinicals, the big-city hacks or the unions seeking "good" jobs and the politically-connecred seeking largesse in the form of fees for "impact stdies" and similar folderol, all the politicians can do is muddle things, with a bigger price tag in terms of both time and money in the process.

[NJbear]

Originally Posted by lmajr1975

i have been living in stroudsburg area since 2003, i commute to manhattan by car then by port authority bus, from november to september its very little traffic and most times even none and i leave around 6:30am to 6:45am and im in manhattan around 8:10am to 8:30am depends, traffic is pretty bad only in mid september to october and then around april to may so i leave still around 6:10am and in manhattan around 8:30am, i finish work 5pm and im always home around 7pm, so if you work closer then manhattan its only around an hour drive with traffic so not bad because i use to live in jersey and worked in jersey and still took me 45min to 1 hr to get to work and my work was only 15min away without traffic took. also there is a train station in mt.olive, nj exit 30 off rt.80 and one in dover, nj and denville, nj, without traffic i am in ny around 1 hr.

I know this is an old thread, but I came across this comment and was absolutely floored.

So far from reality.

I live near Hackettsown and used to have to commute to North Bergen along the Hudson waterfront. Leaving at 6:15-6:30, on a good day I'd get down there by 8:15-8:30. Almost 9 was not infrequent. That's the truth. The above poster alleges travelling from a point 30-40 minutes farther west, leaving later, and getting into Manhatten in half the time???? WTF?

1 hour into Manahttan from Stroudsburg is only gonna happen by flying low on a deserted sunday morning!

[lmajr1975]

i do it everyday and still leave my house 6:40am and im in Rutherford, NJ in 1 hour, then i take bus to NY which is a 20 min ride, so far route 80 is great maybe because they did construction to stop traffic because so far there is no traffic as compared to last year.

[sheena12]

You know I need to weigh in here. Commuting from the Poconos to NYC - or even NJ, so that you can have a flashy home with a Jacuzzi, multiple decks, gas fireplaces and a kitchen with a center Island, THEN, expecting that the "dream house" will make it all better, and that being in a suburb, or more accurately an ex-urb by extension, involves a healthy dose of denial mixed with selfishness.

Kids, especially teen aged kids, need a responsible adult to monster their activities. Not a parent who works almost three hours away, a fancy chandelier and a palladian window. This may be the dream of mom and dad, and to some teenagers it's a pass to do what ever they want, because, hey, no ones home!

People who relocate here should purchase something that they can afford, while working in PA - not one or two states away. Children need hands on parenting, guidance, discipline, love and limitations.ESPECIALLY OLDER KIDS _ TEENS< WHO ARE AT THE GREATEST RISK OF INCURRING THE INEVITABLE PROBLEMS THAT COME ALONG WITH TOO MUCH FREEDOM, NEED THIS THE MOST!
Too many parents are abdicating their responsibilities when a child hits 12. For me, if anything, that's when it should be stepped up!

The Pocono Mountains are lovely, and the cost of living is indeed less expensive than most of NY or NJ. But it is NOT a place that is within commuting distance from the NYC metro area and it's only slightly higher wages.

If you move to PA, do it all the way. For your sake, the sake of your children and for the quality of life of those of us who call NEPA "HOME"

[lmajr1975]

if you live near the stroudsburg area (monroe county) there are no jobs except for retail/restaurants, also not all parents with kids leave their children home till late because they work in the city, most are home by normal time of 6pm in the stroudsburg area who work in ny or nj because of flex time at work, also if 1 parent is home late then the other either stays home or comes home regular time as i know of many, now if you live far out in PA then a bit different story but for those who live in the stroudsburg area and are home by about 6pm i think its great to come to a beautiful home and have money to go to a fine dining restaurant and enjoy what you have because in jersey you can have the same house but probably older or needs renovation and taxes will be double, your neighbors house will be close next to you, plus higher electric bills and car insurance. also i use to finish work 5pm in jersey and lived 15 min from my job but rush hour took me 45 min so there is traffic everywhere unless your lucky to have a job somewhere next to your home in a small town with no traffic and thats basically no where these days, i also go to the jersey shore and manhattan on weekends so it just shows that its not bad at all, no traffic im in manhattan in 1hr 15 min and 1 hr and 20 min at jersey shore.

[Mr Yuk]

Having a 2 hour commute when you have children is rough. A bigger fancier house doesn't mean much when you can't spend much time with your kids or even enjoy the house or area much. That's also a reason why I couldn't live in a bigger city unless I happened to live walking distance from my work. I couldn't handle the traffic and long commutes. My current half-hour is long enough for me and I've still been looking for something closer to home.

[lmajr1975]

my reply was to someone who responded to me not knowing peoples situation, also i dont know of your living situation but for me and others having a nice home in a nice area and having financial income to support a family in a nice environment while being home at a resonable time is excellent, you might be referring to people who are home late in the evening and thats not me and hopefully never will be because then i will move, also being home around 6pm is normal time most jobs finish 5pm.