PennDOT Reconsidering Proposal That Would Eliminate Water Street Bridge Sidewalk (Letter)
According to a letter from PennDOT District 5 Press Officer Ron Young, the agency is now reconsidering eliminating the sidewalk on the Water Street Bridge, which is scheduled to be replaced in the summer of 2019.
Note: This letter is in response to Michael Sutherland’s opinion editorial about the Water Street Bridge over Saucon Creek in the Borough of Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township and the City of Bethlehem.
PennDOT held an Open House on Jan. 25 at the Lower Saucon Township building. The purpose of the Open House was to provide information and display the proposed engineering plans for replacing the Water Street Bridge.
The proposed plans show a new bridge with two 11’ travel lanes, an 8’ shoulder on the north side and a 3’ shoulder on the south side.
Mr. Sutherland seemed most interested in the proposed changes to pedestrian accommodations on the new bridge, mainly the lack of a sidewalk (there is a sidewalk on the north side of the existing bridge). The proposed plans for the new bridge replace the sidewalk with a widened shoulder to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists.
The important thing to remember is the current plans are proposed, or preliminary. And the purpose of the Open House was to present the proposed plans, obtain public input and incorporate as much of the input as possible in the final design of the bridge in an attempt to meet the needs of the community.
There are constraints (Water Street Park, Heller Homestead Park and the Saucon Creek) that limit the size of the new bridge, making it difficult to design sidewalks and shoulders. However, as a result of the input received at the Open House, the design team is already reviewing the feasibility of changing the one 8’ wide shoulder into a 4’ to 5’ wide raised sidewalk with a 3‘ to 4’ shoulder for bicycle use.
The design team will continue interacting with municipal officials to meet as many needs of the community as possible.
As Mr. Sutherland noted, anyone with concerns about the proposed new Water Street Bridge may contact PennDOT Consultant Project Manager Jayne McColl at 610.871.4551, 215.592.4200, or c-jmccoll@pa.gov.
Ronald J. Young Jr., MPA, District Press Officer, PA Dept. of Transportation, Engineering District 5
Allentown
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