Buried PennDOT video of I-80 expansion surfaces – public outrage explodes
From 327 views in 7 years to 1,400+ in days – Hundreds sign petition after seeing scale of project
Rep. Tarah Probst August 14, 2025 | 3:21 PM
HARRISBURG, Aug. 14 – A PennDOT flythrough video of the proposed I-80 expansion shown once at a 2018 hearing, then hidden deep in the I-80 project website has triggered a wave of public opposition after being shared by state Rep. Tarah Probst two weeks ago.
Before Probst’s email to her district, the video, displaying an animated bird’s eye drive through of the “Alternative 2D” version of the expansion project, had just 327 YouTube views in seven years. In days, views jumped to 1,400+, the post was shared over 30 times on Facebook, dozens commented on social media, and hundreds of people added their names alongside the thousands who already signed a petition opposing the project.
The video features bridges taller than any other structures in Stroudsburg, and several large flyover lanes blocking Delaware Water Gap views headed east. The video does not present the 200 homes and businesses affected by the eminent domain process, or the many more homes and businesses just outside of the project parameters that will experience noise, pollution, safety and sightline issues, among other concerns. Instead, green grass lines the roadway, indicating the project passes through farmland, and not the bustling community it will devastate.
The state Transportation Department shared the video at a public hearing in 2018, previous to COVID-19, before a massive turnover of residents to the area. While the Department of Environmental Protection will hold a hearing regarding Chapter 102 and 105 permits in the coming weeks concerning trees cleared and waterway safety, Probst believes the project itself calls for a new overall public hearing.
“PennDOT buried this video for a reason,” Probst explained. “PennDOT owes the newer residents of the community a fresh chance to share their opinions on the billion-dollar ecological disaster coming straight through the middle of our town.”
The I-80 expansion project includes plans to pave wetlands, cut 50 acres of trees, and bury Native American artifact sites as well as position affordable housing and lower-income residents closer to highway pollution. Safety is flagged as the main driver, yet Monroe County is labeled 45th of all 67 counties in the state in PennDOT’s own crash data.
Despite the surge in public disapproval and serious environmental, cultural and health concerns, PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration have refused to revisit the plan. Critics say the nearly billion-dollar expansion is less urgent than pressing repairs on nearby roads, and the additional lanes will create a backlog in the borough that does not currently exist.
The petition and the full flythrough video are available here: [Petition Link] | [YouTube Link]
Screengrab from Alternative 2D animation, I-80 Expansion Project between exits 303 and 307 in Monroe County, PA. (facing East)