SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — After years of planning, PennDOT road crews are expected to break ground on a $91.6 million project to reconstruct the Route 309 interchange at Tilghman Street later this year.
The renovations are one of $1.3 billion of road and bridge improvements slated for 2024 in for PennDOT District 5, a six-county region that includes Lehigh and Northampton counties, state officials said Wednesday afternoon.
Local officials have long cited the interchange's short ramps as a safety hazard; drivers have little room to merge before getting on Tilghman or Route 309.
Between 2018 and 2022, the five most-recent years of data available on PennDOT's Crash Information Tool, the intersection saw more than 200 accidents. Between 2014 and 2018, it had more accidents than any other interchange or street corner in the Lehigh Valley.
PennDOT's plan calls for replacing the overpasses carrying Route 309 over Tilghman Street and Broadway, reconfiguring the interchange's ramps, and adding two new traffic lights on the exit ramps, among other changes.
Lehigh Valley work
The project is expected to go to bid in July and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to PennDOT records.
Other new projects expected to begin in the Lehigh Valley this year include:
- $7 million to rehabilitate the Gap Bridge, which carries Route 873 over the Lehigh River and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks;
- $5.6 million to realign Route 248 along Northampton Street in Bath;
- $3.5 million to reconstruct 1.5 miles of Airport Road between Allentown and Hanover Township, Lehigh County;
- $1.5 million for traffic, cycling and pedestrian improvements along South Main Street in Coopersburg.
The costs attached to all these projects are only estimates. Inflation, rising wages and material shortages have caused prices to jump in the past.
In addition, construction will continue on several existing projects. The most high-profile may be the $22.1 million rebuild of two Route 33 bridges between the Stockertown and Tatamy interchanges. The geology and Bushkill Creek make it difficult to find bedrock capable of supporting the structures; the highway closed for emergency repairs after one bridge sank six inches.
The costs attached to all these projects are only estimates. Inflation, rising wages and material shortages all can cause prices to jump.
Construction on the Route 33 bridges is scheduled to wrap up at the end of August, according to a PennDOT database.
Ongoing
Other ongoing construction projects in the Lehigh Valley include:
- $21.7 million to replace the Cementon Bridge over the Lehigh River and reroute Route 329;
- $13 million for milling, patching and resurfacing lanes carrying westbound traffic on Interstate 78 in Upper Saucon Township, Lower Saucon Township and Bethlehem;
- $10.2 million to widen Race Street, add turn lanes and install traffic lights in Catasauqua;
- $7.4 million for milling and paving portions of Route 191 in Bangor, Nazareth, Stockertown and Lower Nazareth, Plainfield and Upper Nazareth townships.
Portland to Delaware Water Gap
One project that didn't appear on PennDOT's list or databases are repairs to Route 611 along the Monroe County-Northampton County border. The state highway has been closed since heavy rains led to a rockslide on Dec. 6, 2022. Road crews need to climb steep cliffs to remove any debris in order to secure the rock face.
However, little progress has been made in over a year as PennDOT must first receive an emergency permit from the National Park Service for work to begin.
The prolonged stalemate has drawn the attention of state and local officials, including state Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe; U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright and Susan Wild; and U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, all D-Pa. The five have urged PennDOT and the park service to find a solution as the closure has placed a burden on local residents, businesses and emergency responders.
PennDOT officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of the Route 611 project Wednesday night.
