Editing Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (section)

===21st century===
====Revitalization and construction====
[[File:Wilkes-Barre Historic District.jpg|thumb|[[Weiss Hall]], built in 1895, is now part of the [[River Street Historic District (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)|River Street Historic District]]]]
[[File:Wilkes-Barre.jpg|thumb|The public square in Wilkes-Barre]]
On June 9, 2005, [[Thomas M. Leighton]], the city's mayor, unveiled his ''"I&nbsp;believe..."'' campaign for Wilkes-Barre, which was intended to boost the city's spirits. Construction began on a planned downtown theatre complex, which had a grand opening on June 30, 2006. Renovation of the landmark [[Hotel Sterling]] was being pursued by CityVest, a nonprofit developer. The expansion of [[Wilkes University]] and [[King's College (Pennsylvania)|King's College]] took place. Also, the canopy and matching street lights in Public Square and across downtown were removed; they were replaced by new green lampposts.

Wilkes-Barre celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2006. Several events, including a [[Beach Boys]] concert, were planned but canceled due to extremely heavy rains. Most of the city's population was ordered to evacuate on June 28, 2006, and the [[wikt:bicentennial|Bicentennial]] celebration was postponed to Labor Day weekend.

The Riverfront revitalization project (River Common), broke ground in 2007 and was completed in early 2010. It has made the riverfront accessible to the public. The area also has a new amphitheater for live performances and improved access through ramps and sidewalks. Fountains and color-changing lights have been added underneath two bridges which carry pedestrian traffic across the normally-open [[levee]]. The project stretches approximately four blocks from the [[Luzerne County Courthouse]] to the intersection of South River Street and West South Street. The River Common has since hosted concerts and charity events.

Since completion of the River Common, additional improvements to city infrastructure have been progressing. New crosswalks have been installed downtown, including signage emphasizing that pedestrians have the right-of-way. The completion of the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Facility has added parking and relocated Luzerne County buses from their former Public Square staging sites. This has reduced traffic congestion around the square. Private carrier Martz offers coach bus service from the terminal as well.<ref name="transportation-1">{{cite web | url=http://citizensvoice.com/news/w-b-intermodal-center-opens-today-1.878566#axzz1VC0wh5As|title=W-B intermodal center opens today|date=July 6, 2010|publisher=Citizens Voice|access-date=August 16, 2011}}</ref>

The widening and realignment of Coal Street, a major road connecting Wilkes-Barre City with Wilkes-Barre Township, was completed in 2012. The new Coal Street provides four lanes over the original two lanes, making travel between the highly commercial Wilkes-Barre Township and the city much easier. In 2013, [[Hotel Sterling]] was demolished due to flood damage in the hotel's basement (which compromised the building's integrity). As of today, several buildings are in the process of being constructed on the site of the former hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesleader.com/news/697243/developer-presents-plans-for-former-hotel-sterling-site|title=Developer presents plans for former Hotel Sterling site - Times Leader|date=March 20, 2018|website=timesleader.com|access-date=October 10, 2018}}</ref>