Lower Towamensing officials discuss road work
Tis the season for roadwork.
Expect Covered Bridge Road to be closed throughout this week and several other Lower Towamensing Township roads very soon.
Brent Green, chairman of the municipality’s supervisors, said at the meeting Tuesday night that Covered Bridge Road was closed last week for work. This week, it will remain closed as crews from Bruce George Paving and Excavating Inc. in Kunkletown cover it with blacktop. That isn’t the only thing though planned for the road.
Township supervisors voted to hold off on work on Third Street and put the money toward widening Covered Bridge Road from 20 feet to 24 feet.
“We need to determine the ownership of Third Street,” Green said.
In Lower Towamensing Township, the road is called Maple Drive, but becomes Third Street in Palmerton. Since money from the state’s Liquid Fuels Fund helps to pay for road repairs and Lower Towamensing doesn’t get any funds from the state to cover Third Street, the cost for work on it would be covered completely by the township, he said.
Work on Maple Drive is also planned for this month. Maple, Spruce Road and Wintergreen Road will be covered with tar and chip from beginning to end, Green said.
Specifically though, Maple Drive will be worked on from Fireline Road to Dairy Road. Work on Spruce will run from Hahn’s Dairy Road to Forest Drive, and work on Wintergreen will go from the township line to Sunset Terrace Drive.
Green said he knows the public prefers blacktop over tar and chip, but blacktop is very expensive. Tar and chip costs $16,000 per mile, while blacktop costs $80,000 per mile.
Work on Spruce already started on Tuesday, and work on the other roads including Hazlewood Road will begin shortly.
“I anticipate them being wrapped up by the end of the month,” Green said. “It takes about a week per road.”
Other business
In other business, the supervisors voted to purchase four new tires for the Peterbilt truck. The truck has eight wheels, but roadmaster Charlie Schupp said it only needs four of the wheels replaced.
“The front axle has pretty good ones,” he told the supervisors.
The tires will cost $377.27 each.
The supervisors also voted to make a donation to the veterans’ organization in Palmerton for a commemorative stone to be placed in Palmerton Borough Park. The stone is in remembrance of the Vietnam Moving Wall memorial.
“I don’t have a problem giving $200 to them,” said Supervisor Jesse Mendez.
The stone is expected to be placed on July 21.
Several other topics were tabled including a site triangle issue at the intersection of Moyer Place and Little Gap Road, and awarding the contract for the pad for three fuel tanks and additional work.
