Airplanes Painted on Roundabouts

-by Michael Taluto

When three new multi-lane roundabouts were installed at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport, PennDOT’s District 4 immediately began receiving an incredible amount of feedback from the public.  And because these were the first roundabouts for the area, some loved the concept of a roundabout while others found them to be rather confusing. When Berne Milarck travelled to the airport for the first time last year, she fell into the latter category.  She described her attempt to navigate from the interstate to the airport terminal as “frightening”.

But instead of simply complaining, she set out to find a solution.  And when she sent her suggestion to PennDOT, the department listened and implemented her idea.

Berne suggested that PennDOT paint a series of airplanes on the road that would lead motorists from Interstate 81 directly to the airport.  So after the district traffic unit studied the idea to ensure that it was a legal way to improve safety, eleven large planes were painted on the road, leading motorists from Interstate 81, through three roundabouts, directly to the terminal.  The feedback from the public has been incredibly positive.  Motorists love the idea that the planes on the ground make their trip to the airport much easier to navigate.  But they especially love the idea that PennDOT actually took the time to listen to the feedback from one of our customers and implemented her idea.     So you can follow the yellow brick road if you want to get to Oz.  But now thanks to Berne’s idea, you can follow the white painted airplanes if you want to get to the airport.