The Water Street Bridge won’t be closed for a long-planned two-month replacement project until July 15, but preliminary construction work that could cause delays will begin this Monday, July 1, PennDOT said Friday.
In an email, officials said motorists should expect short-term lane restrictions with flagging between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Friday, July 12.
The bridge is located about a quarter of a mile west of Main Street (Rt. 412).
It spans the Saucon Creek, connecting the borough of Hellertown with Lower Saucon Township and the southernmost portion of Bethlehem city.
The two-lane bridge is 81 years old and is being replaced because it is structurally deficient.
While it is closed, two different detours will be in place. The detour routes for cars and trucks were announced by PennDOT earlier this month.
Cars travel across the Water Street Bridge from Lower Saucon Township into Hellertown. The bridge will be closed for two months beginning July 15 for the construction of a replacement span.
In other road work-related news, PennDOT announced that the delayed Easton Road drainage project near the I-78 overpass in Lower Saucon Township will begin July 8.
Easton Road will be closed between Ringhoffer Road and Countryside Lane through Sept. 2 for the work, which is to replace a failed section of pipe that carries a branch of the Saucon Creek underneath the road.
The official PennDOT detour around the closure utilizes Cherry Lane, Rt. 412/Hellertown Road, Shimersville Road, Applebutter Road and Lower Saucon Road.
In this file photo traffic is stopped by a flagger on Easton Road in Lower Saucon Township for drainage work related to a pipe replacement project in the area of the I-78 overpass. The project will result in a road closure between Ringhoffer Road and Countryside Lane from July 8 to Sept. 2, PennDOT officials said Friday. The work was originally supposed to take place from June 12 to July 24, but was delayed.
