The members of the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority are not happy with the proposed location of a pier for the new American Parkway Bridge.

The bridge, an integral part of the proposed high-speed access route to downtown Allentown, passes near a 36-inch diameter sewer pipe owned by CWSA.

"The latest plans call for one corner of the pier to be within a foot of the pipe," explained Darryl Jenkins, engineer with Spotts, Stevens & McCoy, at te authority's April 18 meeting.

Board member James Roth led the discussion about the problem.

"The bridge pier is in our right-of-way and should be moved. One foot is not enough clearance if we ever need to get in there for maintenance," he said.

Although the board agreed with Roth, Jenkins explained that the pier had already been moved as far away as possible from the CWSA pipe while still meeting the support requirements for the bridge. The base of the pier will be below the pipe.

"Our options are limited," said Solicitor Jack Stover. If the bridge pier interferes with CWSA operations, the authority can act. Otherwise, it cannot.

"We know how to work in this situation," said CWSA General Manager David Harleman. "It would be the same as if we were working against a rock face."

Roth asked Jenkins to go back to PennDOT and ask for another review to see if the pier can be moved out of the authority's right-of-way.

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Another project generating discussion meeting was the plan for a rework of the line on Ruch Street.

In prior meetings, Harleman identified that the line required an inordinate amount of maintenance to keep it free-flowing.

The original installation of the line is at odds with customary standards and the authority asked Jenkins to examine the possibilities.

Jenkins, who was required to come up with a plan that maintained basement level service to customers along Ruch Street, presented details of his plan which keeps the line at a depth of 11 feet.

Authority members did not discount the idea that the present sewer path is out of the normal based on geological considerations.

The site is scheduled to have test bores drilled to ascertain what problems may be lurking below grade.

A geotechnical assessment is expected by the end of the month. The project will need to be coordinated with Northampton that has water utilities in the same area. Ruch Street was scheduled to be paved this year.

Ruch Street improvements will be delayed until 2014 to allow this project to proceed efficiently, said Coplay Borough Councilman David Royer.