The ongoing Rt. 412 widening/reconstruction project in Hellertown and Bethlehem may appear to the average motorist like it’s a long way from completion, but nothing could be further from the truth, according to an update from PennDOT Engineering District 5-0 Assistant Construction Engineer Darren LePage shared by Hellertown Borough Manager Cathy Hartrant.
LePage said Tuesday that the paving subcontractor for the $36 million project is scheduled to begin bituminous paving the new roadway the week of Aug. 22.
“Currently the concrete work is wrapping up in the next two weeks and the traffic signal/highway lighting will be going on until the end of next month,” LePage said.
The final configuration for and testing of the traffic signals between Cherry Lane in Hellertown and Daly Avenue in Bethlehem will follow the bituminous paving work, he stated.
Contractor HRI Inc. is currently completing 100-year pipe inspections and making repairs as needed, as well as working on an overall project punchlist work, he added.
According to LePage, the tree plantings along the widened Rt. 412 will occur this fall, and “everything should be wrapped up at the beginning of November.”
Major work on the road widening project began in the spring of 2013 and has continued for nearly a year longer than originally estimated, due to groundwater discoveries that delayed the construction of a new bridge across the Saucon Creek south of the Shimersville Road intersection.
In the interim, Walmart announced plans to build a superstore along Rt. 412, near a distribution center it already operates in the sprawling Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII off Commerce Center Boulevard.
Many Hellertown businesses saw a drop in customer traffic as a result of the road work and resulting traffic, which in some cases made reaching them difficult at various times.
