Councilwoman Praises Traffic Police on Rt. 412

It's only been a short time since their deployment, but Hellertown Councilwoman Gail Nolf says traffic police at key Rt. 412 intersections near the Interstate 78 interchange are already making a big difference in terms of traffic flow.

At Monday's council meeting, Nolf said she regularly drives through the area and believes the use of traffic police during morning and afternoon peak traffic periods is making a "tremendous difference."

"For the most part, traffic just moves so nicely during those hours," she said.

"You guys are doing an awesome job, and so is Bethlehem [Police Department]," she told Hellertown Police Department Cpl. Matt Andree, who was sitting in at the meeting for Chief Robert Shupp.

Shupp announced earlier this month that thanks to PennDOT funding, both borough and city police officers would be deployed to help direct traffic near the I-78 interchange.

The area has become a frequent bottleneck for traffic, due to an ongoing road widening and improvement project that isn't scheduled to be completed until 2015.

Do you think traffic police are helping traffic move through the Route 412 construction zone near I-78? Tell us in the comments.