SLATINGTON, Pa - Starting on Monday, June 10th, 2024, the Walnut Street Bridge, located between Main Street and Church Street, and located over Trout Creek and Factory Street, in the Borough of Slatington, Lehigh County, will be closed until such time as the bridge replacement project has been completed, according to a press release.
Additionally, only the westerly sidewalk will be available for pedestrian use, as the easterly sidewalk will be closed for pedestrian safety.
The bridge is owned by the County of Lehigh, but the bridge replacement/roadway realignment project will be managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation [PennDOT].
The press release said the structural failure of various bridge components and the cost and time frame for effecting repairs to the existing bridge were responsible for the decision to close the bridge.
Bids for the construction of the “new” bridge are tentatively scheduled to be opened on December 12, 2024.
The bridge/roadway realignment project will most likely take between 2 and 3 years to complete at a cost of approximately $7.5 million dollars, according to the release.
The detour will utilize Main Street and Church Street, both 2-way streets and both located close to the Walnut Street Bridge, in the Borough of Slatington.
The left-hand turn onto Walnut Street from Main Street will also not be available for use as the bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic.
All traffic will be expected to use the detour route.