New High Street Bridge Being Designed

Hellertown Borough Manager Cathy Kichline recently provided an update on the current status of the High Street Bridge replacement project.

The 103-year-old, one-lane timber bridge on the border between Bethlehem and Hellertown remains barricaded nearly two years after structural concerns led officials to close it.

Kichline said the replacement project is currently in its design and engineering phase, which is being coordinated by officials from the City of Bethlehem.

Although one end of the bridge borders the borough line, the structure itself is within the city's limits.

Kichline said that according to current plans, the new bridge will be of a stone arch design, with two 14-foot lanes for traffic and pedestrian access on one side.

The bridge's design phase is expected to be completed by July 2014, with construction to commence sometime after that.

A closed county-owned bridge to the west of the High Street Bridge is not scheduled for replacement.

The steel truss Seidersville Road bridge across the Saucon Creek was closed shortly before the High Street bridge was barricaded in 2011.

Bethlehem residents who live in the area of Ravena Street—which lies in between the two closed bridges—have had limited access to their neighborhood since then.