Officials Share Plans for Lower Saucon Road Bridge Replacement

Although the project won’t likely begin for nearly two years, PennDOT and township officials are sharing plans for a bridge that will replace a 95-year-old span on Lower Saucon Road near Easton Road in order to gather feedback from the public.

PennDOT has opened a public comment period for the plans, which state that construction is expected to start in the spring of 2027 and be completed late that year. The proposal calls for separate detours for cars and trucks, both of which would utilize Easton Road. The car route would also utilize Apple Street, while truck traffic would be diverted through Hellertown on a route that utilizes Cherry Lane, Main Street, Polk Valley Road, Reservoir Road and Wassergass Road.

According to information from PennDOT, the bridge currently has an average daily traffic volume of 859 vehicles.

The current two-lane bridge is described as having a single-span concrete-encased rolled steel I-beam superstructure. Thirty-three feet long and 21 feet wide, it was built to span the East Branch of Saucon Creek in 1930 and “is in poor condition due to beam encasement spalling…and other concrete deterioration in the substructure,” per PennDOT.

The proposed replacement bridge would be a prestressed concrete spread box beam type that is 45 feet long with 10-foot travel lanes and three-foot-wide shoulders. It will not have sidewalks or bike lanes across it, according to the plans.

As part of the replacement project, PennDOT plans to make guide rail and pavement marking upgrades as well as to relocate utilities in the area. “The acquisition of right-of-way, temporary construction easements and a drainage easement will be required to complete the work,” an April 2 update noted.

Anyone with an interest in the project, including surrounding property and business owners, is encouraged to provide feedback on the plans. Comments can be submitted via the PennDOT website through April 30.