The latest plan for improving Race Street intersections with Lehigh, Front and Second streets was presented at the June 2 Catasauqua Council meeting.

For decades, there has been a plan of some sort to improve traffic flow at the Lehigh and Race Street intersection.

The plans for the busiest intersection must address connection to Front Street and Second Street.

The last plan proposed diverting Lehigh Street so that it connected directly to Second Street, but that plan stood for nearly a decade with no action by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation until it was rejected last year.

One of the drawbacks of that plan was its use of a portion of the George Taylor House property, which is protected from development of any kind because it is a National Historic Landmark.

In rejecting the plan, PennDOT cited problems with gaining a property easement on the George Taylor House property, flood dangers for a new bridge over Catasauqua Creek and a traffic study showing that the new American Parkway bridge to Allentown, now under construction, should reduce traffic on Lehigh Street. PennDOT traffic engineers prepared three new proposals for the intersection and recommended Proposal A.

The plans were submitted to the borough months ago, but none had overwhelming support.

According to council President Vincent Smith, PennDOT asked the borough to endorse the recommended plan.

The latest plan installs three traffic lights along Race Street – one at Lehigh Street, another at Front Street, and the third at Second Street. The plan asks the borough to change the direction of Front Street and to make Second Street a two-way street. The plan only addresses directional changes on Front and Second streets for one block.

"The borough controls both streets," explained Smith. "We can accept the recommendations made or develop our own scheme. We are not required to follow Penn-DOT's recommendation on those two streets."

Council member Brian Bartholomew objected to endorsing the plan.

"I talked with Brian Grazer [PennDOT's local engineering representative] and he said this project was at least two years away, if not more," he said.

According to Bartholomew, the borough sent a letter to PennDOT approving the plan, but asked for a continuing assessment.

"We may have changes coming up with the proposed FedEx hub," said Bartholomew. "We should wait to see what happens with traffic."

FedEx is proposing building a ground transportation hub in Allen Township, now being reviewed by the township's planning commisson.

Approved traffic studies for the hub show FedEx trucks using Race Street and Airport Road to get to Route 22, with little or no truck traffic through Catasauqua.

Certain members of council contend that FedEx employee vehicular traffic will pass through the borough, however.

The council authorized funding a local traffic study that would address traffic from the proposed hub and traffic that would be generated by developing borough-owned property on Front Street, recently branded as the Ironworks.

Smith responded that the plans could be changed, but an endorsement by the borough would keep PennDOT focused on making improvements to the intersection.

According to Smith, Becky Bradley of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission indicated that PennDOT did not think the borough was behind the project. Smith is concerned that Penn-DOT will put improvements on the back burner, as it has with other plans for the intersection, if the borough does not show a commitment.

"When I spoke with Brian Grazer he didn't say that there was a problem with our letter," replied Bartholomew. "He understands the situation. The project is two years out and there will be a lot of changes to traffic in the borough."

Council passed the measure endorsing the PennDOT proposal by a 4-3 vote. Councilmen Bartholomew and Eugene Schlegel were joined by Councilwoman Jessica Kroope to oppose the endorsement.