Shamokin Dam McDonald's (Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes-Barre Township, Wyoming: how much, construction, live)

[Dawne]

Anybody from the Snyder County area see the McDonald's along 11/15 today? It was standing this morning. I went by around 2:00 and the back half was down - just the play area and seats there were still standing. At 5:00 tonight everything was down, and the roof that covered the play area was lying on the ground basically intact. I wonder if they saved the play equipment.

It'll be interesting to see the new restaurant in December, and the construction as it goes on. Now we have MM to keep track of on one side of the road and McDonald's on the other side! Hopefully all the rubbernecking won't cause any accidents!

[R.J. MacReady]

My cousin said something last night about them redoing McDonalds but it was the first I had heard about it. He said that they were taking out some of the seating areas and making is smaller? I'm thinking that's not correct though as it doesn't make sense. Should be interesting to see the end product!

[judd2401]

It would seem prudent to put sidewalks and a pedestrian overpass in now that there's yet another shopping center going in. Pedestrians run across the intersection between Walmart and the mall and put their lives in danger, the area should be more pedestrian and bicycle friendly but as it stands, you take your life in your hands if you're anywhere but in a car.

[Dawne]

R.J., the newspaper said the restaurant portion will indeed be smaller with less seating. The play area will be larger, and it will all be new and updated. The owner hadn't planned to close so soon, but employees got wind of his plans and half of them quit to look for other jobs. One employee showed up for work last Monday to find signs that they were closed and would reopen in December. Definitely a lack of communication!

Judd, a walkover would be wonderful but it'll never happen - too expensive. Hopefully the new traffic lights will include walk signals (with a reasonable time to actually get all the way across the street), but I also doubt that along such a busy highway. You're right - the area isn't very pedestrian or bicycle friendly.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by judd2401

It would seem prudent to put sidewalks and a pedestrian overpass in now that there's yet another shopping center going in. Pedestrians run across the intersection between Walmart and the mall and put their lives in danger, the area should be more pedestrian and bicycle friendly but as it stands, you take your life in your hands if you're anywhere but in a car.

Here in the Wilkes-Barre Area traffic is prolific in the "hub" between the Wyoming Valley Mall, Wilkes-Barre Township Commons, Wilkes-Barre Township Marketplace, and Arena Hub Plaza. You have literally hundreds of stores and restaurants crammed into perhaps a one-square mile area, and now with higher fuel prices people are actually starting to park in one lot and attempt to walk between other shopping venues. I used to work at the Arena Hub Plaza Lowe's store, and I used to cringe to see women with strollers, older people, etc. literally power-walking or running to try to get across the six lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. It seems as if most of today's suburbs were poorly-designed without the pedestrian in mind. How much would it have honestly cost to make these shopping hubs safer to those on foot or bicycle?

[R.J. MacReady]

Originally Posted by Dawne

R.J., the newspaper said the restaurant portion will indeed be smaller with less seating. The play area will be larger, and it will all be new and updated. The owner hadn't planned to close so soon, but employees got wind of his plans and half of them quit to look for other jobs. One employee showed up for work last Monday to find signs that they were closed and would reopen in December. Definitely a lack of communication!

Judd, a walkover would be wonderful but it'll never happen - too expensive. Hopefully the new traffic lights will include walk signals (with a reasonable time to actually get all the way across the street), but I also doubt that along such a busy highway. You're right - the area isn't very pedestrian or bicycle friendly.

I was wondering what would happen to the employees. It really stinks that the communication wasn't that strong and can understand why people had to quit to gain other employment.

I agree a walkover would be an interesting idea but also agree that it would never happen because of the cost. I don't think there's enough business in that little area that people would choose to walk anyways and it would be a waste of money. One that connected the Mall and Wal Mart/Value city would be better. There will be enough places to eat in MM (Heard there they are leaving space for at least three areas for restaurants.)