Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners discussed ideas for the Darktown residents on Water Street at the meeting July 13, with the main goal of possibly reopening the street for full public access. However, limitations would be in place, with the board looking at a one-way route for a temporary time.

No official decision has been made about the reopening of the street or how the street would operate upon reopening. Board President Jeffrey Warren and Commissioner Elizabeth Fox were not in attendance at the meeting.

Peter Terry, traffic engineer, returned to the board to discuss ideas on how to potentially reopen Water Street safely and noted things the board and the township would need to be cautious about.

He previously presented findings from an engineering study the board approved last year for Water Street, which identified numerous issues and safety precautions for Water Street, even with the road currently closed to the public.

Terry called Water Street “a very unconventional roadway that doesn’t meet the standards.”

Mayor Joseph R. Marx made the decision to temporarily close the street after Edward Tomcics was killed on the street Dec. 25, 2024. Water Street residents came to the meetings shortly after his death and protested against the reckless driving that reportedly occurred on the street and demanded action be taken. After Tomcics’ death, Marx went through with the closure after getting input from the Water Street residents through a petition they all signed. The street has been closed since September 2025.

The board voted on a motion in 2025 to support the mayor on the temporary closure. Fox was the only vote against closing the street, while Warren had advocated many times for traffic calming on Water Street to ensure public safety.

“We shouldn’t be discouraging people from driving that road. We should be encouraging less traffic, and I think a one-way option does that,” Commissioner Taylor Stakes said in disagreement with the temporary closure. “Given the circumstances we have with the street closed, that’s the worst solution.”

Commissioner Ken Snyder brought forward an idea to make Water Street a one-way road for a temporary period. He said the reason he proposed the one-way option is that it would result in “50% of the amount of traffic.”

Snyder stated the one-way street could allow for a 12-foot traffic lane, which Terry said was the standard for a traffic lane, as well as 8 feet for possible parallel parking and 3-4 feet for pedestrian walking.

Terry reported lines could be painted on the street that would mark pedestrian access. Snyder mentioned parallel parking would be designated on the street.

Snyder went through several measurements the township has conducted on Water Street, noting there is an estimated 25 feet after you come down from the bridge before you see the first house on the northbound right side from Water Street, going to 27 feet after that house.

The lane starts to shrink in size as you progress down Water Street, becoming narrower as you get closer to the box culvert. Once you reach the parking area for the trail, it goes down to 22 feet. It goes down to 18 feet when the guardrail starts. Snyder said there would be no parking provided there, only pedestrian access and a 12-foot traffic lane.

Snyder said his reasoning for the 18 feet is so the children who live there could walk to Eberhart Road for their bus stop during the school year and allow for a 12-foot traffic lane. Snyder brainstormed ideas, such as providing additional parking spaces on one side of the road for the residents.

Snyder said Warren mentioned to him in a previous conversation that if you allow for one-way access on Water Street, it may allow for more reckless driving to occur, with drivers going faster than the speed limit.

“If you do one way and it’s 12 feet, it would cause people to go faster because it’s a 12-foot lane, versus narrowing it down,” Warren reportedly said in a conversation with Snyder.

Commissioner Lee Christman stated, “It was two way before, and it didn’t slow people down.”

After Snyder expressed ideas about Water Street being one way for a temporary basis, Terry called it “a viable alternative.”

Vice President Thomas Slonaker made the claim that speed bumps or humps could potentially cause accidents. However, Terry disagreed with his statement.

“Properly installed speed bumps, I don’t believe, are highly attributed to causing accidents,” Terry said. “If you have the proper signage and the proper pavement markings, they don’t have a reputation for causing crashes.”

Terry suggested putting temporary speed humps, similar to ones the city of Allentown implemented near Cedar Beach Park and the pool on North Ott Street. However, Terry added once winter comes, the snow plows would destroy the speed humps, and they would have to find another alternative for traffic calming.

A representative from Keystone Engineering advised the board to be cautious about speed bumps or humps, due to how close some of the houses on Water Street are to the roadway. They noted they did not have a topographic survey of Water Street at this time. She noted some speed bumps/humps could possibly cause drainage that may leak toward the houses on Water Street.

Stakes supported Snyder’s ideas about making the street one way temporarily, speaking against the mayor’s decision to close the street and noting it was a good idea to keep the street one way for the time being, but to eventually reopen it to two-way traffic in the future, once it’s been deemed safe.

“One way is not the ideal solution; two way would be the most ideal solution,” Stakes said. “I think the one-way road is a great solution. I’m not in support of keeping the road closed anymore. It’s a public street. I think it was misguided to close the street, and I think it’s time that we reopen it.

Solicitor Jack Gross affirmed Water Street was temporarily closed based on the mayor’s authority. He has the authority to temporarily reopen the street one way, but if it were to become a permanent change, Gross noted a more extensive process would have to occur before the change is put into place.

Christman asked if it was a better idea to make it one way north or south. He asked if it would relieve some of the traffic on Eberhart Road if the road was made one way south to north from the Eberhart point.

Terry said the road may be better equipped to be one way northbound, from the bridge to Eberhart Road. He also mentioned some of the properties near the north side of Water Street need two-way access. The roadway is more set up for two-way access at the northern end because it’s wider.

Terry also mentioned it is more difficult to provide signage on the Lehigh Street bridge telling drivers not to turn onto Water Street.

Stakes mentioned traffic would be alleviated on Lehigh Street since cars take Lehigh Street to get onto MacArthur Road, and much traffic comes from Whitehall to Catasauqua and vice-versa.

Kyle Kern, a resident and former commissioner, suggested making the street two way up until the guard rail, which would become one way as soon as you enter, due to how the street narrows as you progress closer to the box culvert with the stop signs. Kern brought up the example of Front Street in Catasauqua, where it’s a two-way street up until you get to the stop sign and then becomes a one-way street.

Snyder said there are also many streets in Allentown that are one way.

Kern said when the Water Street residents purchased their properties, it was a two-way street. When they may look to resell their property, Kern said it would have minimal effects, which Snyder said has no bearing on the issue being discussed.

Stakes said drivers may end up having to turn around on private property if they went through with this option, which would become an issue. Terry said the township would have to provide a place for cars to turn around.

When Terry came to the board a few months ago with an engineering study done on Water Street, he mentioned lighting was also a problem on Water Street.

Deputy Mayor Jack Meyers discussed the lighting problem on the street, noting some lights may cost up to $20,000 to fix, depending on the type of lighting they wish to go with.

Terry said he would like to speak with public works about traffic-calming measures and possible costs for how much it would be to install a traffic-calming device. Terry noted three speed bumps or humps would be needed for traffic calming on Water Street, and a lot of signage would have to go up. He said he wants to meet with public works before an official timeline is decided for Water Street.