Contractors from Clearwater Construction, a PennDOT subcontractor, have started work in Tamaqua on footers and abutments for a temporary 150-foot-long bridge that will run over the Little Schuylkill River near the south end of town, by the Hess gas station. The temporary 38-foot-wide bridge is being constructed to allow traffic to move while the old Center Street (SR309) bridge is torn down and replaced. The architecture of the new bridge, expected to be completed by next summer, will resemble the older parapet-style bridge. Traffic isn't expected to be detoured onto the temporary bridge until next spring.