DELAWARE WATER GAP, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Having been closed since December 2022, the reopening of part of Route 611 in the Poconos is finally in sight.
Businesses like the Historic Castle Inn have seen fewer customers since the closure.
“Some of the signage confused people and they thought that we were closed but we’re not,” says Scott Fabian.
But now the end is in sight as the National Parks Service (NPS) and PennDOT have come to an agreement to reopen the road and install a temporary free-standing rockfall barrier.
The good news is a breath of fresh air for Fabian.
“We all tried to move forward and deal with the closure because it really did kind of clamp down on as many people that were coming into town.”
The Historic Castle Inn, which opened back in 1907, has been adding new attractions to draw in crowds; like a winery, a new art gallery, and a castle kiosk that gives insight into local history.
“It’s been a hub of music even up until 1952 when Fred Waring Sr. Bought the castle inn and made this the place where he ran his music empire.”
Route 611 is expected to reopen in about eight weeks time and business all the shops hope to make up for since the signs went up.
“The reopening was such great news for us because we’ve seen a lack of traffic coming through because it was always a major thoroughfare between Delaware Water Gap and Portland.”
When reopened, PennDOT and NPS will allow two-way traffic to flow while they continue working behind the scenes on a more permanent solution to fix the slope failure.