UPDATE: Lower Saucon Township Police issued alerts at 6 a.m. Thursday stating that Rt. 378 northbound had reopened to traffic.
Some drivers traveling north on Rt. 378 from Lower Saucon Township into Bethlehem found themselves facing a detour–and a bit of a headache–Wednesday evening.
Shortly after 8 p.m., Lower Saucon Township Police announced via a Nixle alert that the busy thoroughfare’s northbound lanes were closed at Mountain Drive North because of a water break in the city.
Mountain Drive North and Puggy Lane intersect with Rt. 378 at the top of South Mountain, which is about half a mile south of the city line.
Police said in the online alerts they shared that there was no known timeframe for repairing the water main break and reopening the road.
The cause of the main break wasn’t immediately clear, but recently there have been dramatic fluctuations in temperature which in some instances can put a strain on aging infrastructure.
Above, a southbound vehicle sits at the traffic light on Rt. 378 at Mountain Drive North in Lower Saucon Township. Rt. 378’s northbound lanes heading into the city of Bethlehem were closed as of around 8 p.m. due to a water main break in the city, police said.
Above, traffic cones block access to Rt. 378 north at Mountain Drive North in Lower Saucon Township following a water main break Wednesday night. Lower Saucon Township Police said there was no timeline for repairing the break and reopening that part of the road.