- State Transportation Department officials on Monday updated the Bethlehem Township commissioners on a $10 million project to make the intersection of Freemansburg Avenue and Farmersville Road safer
- The project will move the northern section of Farmersville Road about 200 ft., bringing it in line with the southern part
- The project is set to wrap up in late 2027, if all goes well
BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — The troubled intersection of Farmersville Road and Freemansburg Avenue in Bethlehem Township is progressing toward an overhaul to make it safer, state Transportation Department officials said Monday.
Currently, the northern leg of Farmersville Road at the intersection is about 200 feet from the southern leg. Drivers on Farmersville Road have to turn left onto Freemansburg Avenue, and make another quick right to get back on Farmersville.
While drivers on Farmersville Road have a stop sign, traffic on Freemansburg Avenue does not stop. During rush hour, Freemansburg Avenue typically is choked with drivers, compounding the problems.
“Not to mention the number of motor vehicle accidents that occur at the intersection. Because you don’t have a stop sign [on Freemansburg Avenue], vehicles are speeding up. There’s nothing really to slow them down.”David Harmden, who lives near the intersection
“It's hazardous," Tony Ortwein, who lives near the intersection, said. "People are taking their lives into their hands when they do that quick turn trying to beat the traffic.
“The volume of cars has just been horrendous, and it's just getting worse. This is long overdue.”
“Not to mention the number of motor vehicle accidents that occur at the intersection,” added David Harmden, who also lives nearby. “Because you don’t have a stop sign [on Freemansburg Avenue], vehicles are speeding up. There’s nothing really to slow them down.”
Crashes show need for change
During a presentation to the Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners on Monday, PennDOT Consultant Project Manager Jason Besz pointed to a number of car crashes at the intersection as a sign it needs to change.
The project to fix it will move the Northern leg of Farmersville Road at Freemansburg Avenue, bringing it in line with the Southern leg. What’s now an awkward half-H intersection will become a standard plus-shaped four-way, complete with a new stoplight.
“On this one, there’s a potential that we may be able to beat that schedule.”PennDOT Consultant Project Manager Jason Besz
For a handful of homeowners on the existing Farmersville Road, the existing part of the street will become a cul-de-sac.
The roughly $10 million project, funded by PennDOT, already is more than a year in the making. Besz told the commissioners on Monday that PennDOT hopes to finish construction by the end of Fall 2027.
“Of course, we look back at construction projects that don’t happen according to the schedule, or may be pushed back,” he said. “On this one, there’s a potential that we may be able to beat that schedule.”
Township and PennDOT officials alike are at the mercy of landowners, an ongoing environmental study, and utility companies with infrastructure buried near the intersection that will need to be moved.
Crashes show need for change
If property owners settle with the state quickly, affected utility companies move with haste, and the results of the study hold no surprises, the project could make great time.
If a landowner fights the state’s acquisition of their property, utility companies drag their feet, or the study turns up environmentally sensitive land that construction must work around, delays are all but certain.
“Those are the three things that are really going to drive our schedule in final design, and unfortunately, I can't think of anything the township can do to speed those things along,” Besz said.
“You probably don’t get this very often, but thank you."Township Board of Commissioners President John Merhottein to PennDOT officials
While construction will require some short-term, single-lane closures, officials said, the project won’t require any detours or extended lane closures.
The department soon will begin acquiring right-of-way rights for land to build the new section of road, though Besz said they wouldn’t need more than a “sliver” of anyone’s property in the area.
“For this project, we’re not expecting to take anybody’s house,” he said.
PennDOT aims to put the project out for bid in late 2025, in time to start construction in early 2026.
While township residents Tony Ortwein and David Harmden said they're optimistic the changes will make the intersection much safer, they said they don’t see the project as a silver bullet for the area’s traffic woes.
“It will fix the problem as far as turning, and make it safer," Ortwein said. "But the problem is we're just inundated with the volume of cars. They're going to have to do something with all of Freemansburg Avenue, not just one little intersection.”
Township Board of Commissioners President John Merhottein told PennDOT officials at the end of their presentation Monday, “You probably don’t get this very often, but thank you.”
“I believe this was originally budgeted for us about $7-10 million, and it was a project we were going to take. What a huge burden to the municipality.
“I mean, $10 million is half our budget a year. So, thank you, PennDOT.”
