Businesses are worried they could lose money when motorists will not be able to turn left going northbound or southbound on Route 61 at Mauch Chunk Street as part of the replacement of the two bridges in Pottsville and Palo Alto.
The state Department of Transportation is replacing the two "Mady's bridges" after they were deemed structurally deficient in 2001 due to abutment issues.
The $10,568,416 project awarded to Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., State College, is slated for completion in August 2017.
Jason Bower, co-owner of Dunkin' Donuts at Mauch Chunk Street and Route 61, said customer traffic to his store could decline. He said perhaps 30 to 40 percent of his business could be lost due to the project and traffic implications.
Bower said traffic will be prohibited from turning left onto Mauch Chunk Street from Route 61, which Sean Brown, spokesman for PennDOT District 5, Allentown, confirmed to be accurate.
"They will be restricting left hand turns on 209 in both directions" for traffic control, Brown said.
He did not have a date when that would occur or how long the restrictions would be in effect.
"It's going to cause people to stay away from that area," Bower said.
Motorists might decide to not stop at his store because of the traffic change.
"It's really concerning," Bower said, adding he does not like the fact that the work is scheduled for so long.
"I think they should be working three shifts actually and working around the clock," he said.
Located in Palo Alto, "Mady's Big Bridge" is a 314-foot-long and 64-foot-wide four-span concrete encased steel I-beam bridge over the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad.
It will be replaced with a two-span concrete bulb-tee beam bridge that measures 63 feet 10 inches wide.
"Mady's Small Bridge" in Pottsville over the Schuylkill River is 79 feet long and 62 feet wide. It is a single span steel I-beam bridge. The replacement will be 100 feet long and 62 feet 6 inches wide.
The length of the bridge will increase due to the abutments being moved 10 feet from their current location to provide for a wider channel.
Lane restrictions and a temporary traffic light are part of the project. A temporary light is scheduled to be installed on Bacon Street at Route 61.
According to a press release from PennDOT, there will be a long-term lane restriction on Route 61 south during the demolition and construction of both bridges, while both northbound lanes will remain open for the majority of the time.
Brown said the length of the project is to have as minimal an impact on traffic in the area as possible.
Kelly Gradwell, manager of KFC on Claude A. Lord Boulevard, said the traffic change could result in a decline in revenue.
"If business slows down, we'll have to reduce the hours our employees work," Gradwell said Thursday. She said about 31 employees work there and most are part time.
She didn't know how much revenue would have to be lost before that happens.
Bower agreed that he might have to cut hours or shift employees to other locations.
On Thursday, workers from the contractor were cutting down trees to allow PPL to relocate some power lines. A section of the right southbound lane was restricted.
Joe Liegey, superintendent from the Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., said depending on weather, workers could be out in three to four weeks to remove the center concrete barrier and other necessary work. Lane restrictions will be in effect for three to four days while that is done.
Motorists' thoughts
The work on the bridges is needed, motorists said, but the implications will likely not cause traffic to move smoothly. For the most part, traffic moved without much delay in the area Thursday except when encountering the orange cones and in the right hand southbound lane of Route 61 before the Route 61 Car Wash and McNulty's Auto Sales. A flashing arrow near the larger bridge also alerted motorists.
"Any restriction of lanes around here is going to be a nightmare. I think there's definitely going to be problems with people becoming irate. Fuses will be shortened," Greg Calkins, 50, of Pottsville, said as he sat at Original Italian Pizza at 300 Mauch Chunk St.
Pansy Strickland, Pottsville, agreed that traffic through the area will become more of a test of patience.
"You've got to learn to live with this. It's called progress," she said as she left Brok-Sel Market on Route 61.
Joanne Woznicki, an employee at the store, said that a lot of customers come into the store and there might be a slight dip in business because of the project. Customers have not come in and talked about the project yet.
"It's not affecting anybody yet," she said.
As part of the work for the smaller bridge, PennDOT purchased 20 feet of the Brok-Sel building. The owners of the market received more than $200,000.
"We have to muster through it all," she said.
Jim Manzick, 63, of Pottsville, said the work is warranted.
"It's going to have to get done. It is going to be a problem for a while," he said about the traffic.
Ed McLaughlin, 65, of Schuylkill Haven, was at Dunkin' Donuts on Thursday.
He didn't like the delays but said they would be for a good cause.
"I'd rather have a couple of delays then fall in the river. The bridges and the roads have to be repaired," he said.