It’s been about 24 hours since a historic snowstorm ended with two-plus feet of snow on the ground for many in the Saucon Valley area, and a large-scale cleanup is under way.
The good news is that as of Wednesday, most major roads are not only passable, but dry and down to blacktop (see photos, below). Motorists should be aware, however, that icy patches could form in areas where there has been melting of snow, particulary at night.
In Hellertown borough, some alleys and side streets remained at least partially snow- and slush-covered Wednesday, as the main focus of public works employees and contractors has turned to removing mountains of snow along the sides of Main Street.
That work was taking place in the 600 block of Main Street Wednesday afternoon, with a variety of heavy equipment in use to cut away at the snow pack and free up parking.
Borough officials said Tuesday that crews will also be removing snow from intersections around town where visibility has been compromised due to snowpiles at the corners.
In Lower Saucon Township, most main and secondary roads appeared to be in similarly good condition. State roads that are plowed and treated by PennDOT–such as Rt. 378–also appeared mainly dry and free of ice or snow.
Since opening all roads Tuesday, the township’s public works crew has been actively working to open all pipes and inlet basins to help limit flooding, an email announcement from the township said.
“They are pushing back snow piled at intersections to improve sight distance,” it added.
Due to the amount of snow that fell and the limited number of public works staff most municipalities employ, the cleanup efforts along local roads will likely continue for days.
“This will take time to get going and complete,” an email from Hellertown officials stressed.
Any additional snowfall in the coming days could obviously compound the efforts.
Hellertown borough remains under a snow emergency until further notice, meaning parking is still restricted on snow emergency routes. The same is true in some other local municipalities, although Lower Saucon Township has lifted its snow emergency.
Note: The photos below were taken Wednesday and may not be representative of all local road conditions at the current time. For questions and comments about local road conditions, contact staff at either Hellertown borough or Lower Saucon Township. Questions about conditions on state-owned roads–such as Rt. 378 in Lower Saucon Township–should be directed to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
While not a road, the Saucon Rail Trail is an important transportation route for walkers, jogglers and cyclists in the Saucon Valley area. As of Wednesday afternoon it was buried under heavy snowpack, no doubt to the delight of local cross-country skiers.
Above is Friedensville Road looking east toward Hellertown. The double yellow line in the center is the boundary between the City of Bethlehem (on the left) and Lower Saucon Township (on the right).
Hickory Hill Road as seen from its intersection with Bingen Road in Lower Saucon Township.
Quarter Mile Road at Bingen Road, Lower Saucon Township.
Bingen Road at Quarter Mile Road, Lower Saucon Township.
Sanbrook Drive at Black River Road, Lower Saucon Township.
Division Street near Main Street, Hellertown borough.
Rt. 378 looking south from Black River Road in Lower Saucon Township.
Snow removal was taking place in the 600 block of Main Street and at other locations in Hellertown Wednesday afternoon.
Constitution Drive near Dimmick Park in Hellertown borough.
A large mound of snow divides two parking lots along the 600 block of Harris Street. Harris Street is an alley that runs parallel to Main Street south of Water Street in Hellertown. Although most main and secondary roads are clean down to blacktop, some narrow side streets and alleys remain snow-covered, at least in places.
Magnolia Road, Hellertown borough.
A Hellertown Public Works Department employee operates a mini skid steer along Water Street near Main Street as part of ongoing snow removal operations Wednesday afternoon.
The upper end of Fire Lane in Salisbury Township.
Seidersville Road looking east toward Old Philadelphia Pike in Lower Saucon Township, near the Salisbury Township line.
Northampton Street looking south from Penn Street in Hellertown borough.
Delaware Avenue looking north from Penn Street in Hellertown borough.
Rentzheimer Drive between Durham Street and New York Avenue in Hellertown borough.
Rentzheimer Drive, looking south from Durham Street in Hellertown borough.
Tobias Drive, looking south from Durham Street in Hellertown borough.
Durham Street at Depot Street, near the Hellertown Pool and Dimmick Park in Hellertown borough.
Looking west along Durham Street near Dewey Fire Company No. 1 in Hellertown borough. The historic building pictured at right houses the Hellertown Borough Authority headquarters.
A Hellertown Police SUV follows behind a borough dump truck and skid steer involved in snow removal operations in the 600 block of Main Street, Hellertown borough.
The intersection of Main and Penn streets in downtown Hellertown.
This view is looking east along Penn Street from Main Street in Hellertown borough.
Although a considerable amount of snow has been removed from the parking spaces along Main Street, a ‘wall’ of it remains between the spaces and the sidewalk. In order for motorists to safely access the sidewalk, property owners will likely need to cut paths through the wall, which is several feet high.
A motorist attempts to navigate slush-filled ruts on Harris Street near Water Street in Hellertown Wednesday afternoon.
