PennDOT has pulled the plug on its original proposal to revamp the intersection at Lehigh and Race streets.

In its original form, the plan called for a Second Street extension, connecting it to Lehigh Street. This plan proved to be costly, fraught with easement and coordination problems.

Although the plan was debated for years, the net result is that PennDOT went back to the drawing boards.

Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder indicated at a council meeting recently that Penn-DOT believes the extension of American Parkway as an entrance corridor to Allentown will ease traffic on Lehigh Street. Construction is currently under way on that road improvement.

Although council members are skeptical that Lehigh Street traffic will decrease significantly, they looked at the latest proposal for relieving congestion at the intersection and discussed it at the Oct. 7 council meeting.

Councilman Eugene Schlegel presented his recommendation that council approve Penn-DOT's Plan A. As explained by Schlegel, the plan would put traffic controls at Lehigh, Front and Second streets.

The plan also calls for Second Street to be converted to a two-way street, and this aspect of the plan was not well received by council.

"Second Street has been one-way for 30 years and it has worked well," Councilman Alfred Regits said.

Schlegel, while agreeing with the new plan, was also reluctant to commit to changing Second Street to a two-way street.

Council directed Goldfeder to express its concerns on traffic flow to PennDOT. Nothing is expected to happen in the near future.

"It took them years to decide not to do the Second Street extension," said Regits. "I don't think anything is going to happen here soon."

As part of the borough's continuing look at its infrastructure, Councilman Vincent Smith reported that the borough received 10 responses to its Request for Proposal on developing the borough's Front Street property.

"We will review the plans at the next planning and zoning meeting. They are pretty voluminous, but we will sort through them and give council a recommendation," Smith said.

Council also approved establishing a joint intermunicipal agreement dubbed the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) under the direction of Howard Lieberman of the Whitehall Industrial & Commercial Development Authority.

"The only way we can take advantage of this opportunity is to band together," Lieberman said. "Catasauqua does not qualify on its own, but will qualify if it joins with Whitehall."

A CRIZ is a special tax zone for the development of abandoned or blighted areas by granting developers special tax incentives. The brownfield on Front Street now owned by the borough is one such property.

Whitehall is looking for assistance in attracting businesses to the former Lehigh Dairy building on MacArthur Road.