Major strides were made nearly a year after the Route 443 road widening project began.

The ongoing reconstruction of 443 from the Carbon Plaza Mall in Mahoning Township to the Route 209/Thomas J. McCall Memorial Bridge in Lehighton Borough continues.

Work includes reconstructing roughly 2.25 miles of roadway, adding a center turn lane along the corridor, adding left-turn lanes and traffic signal improvements at the 443 intersections with Mall Road/Mall Lane and East Penn Street/Mahoning Mountain Road.

The work is designed to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes.

It also involves drainage improvements, traffic signing, utility installation/relocation, new guide rail, and pavement markings.

The project also includes rehabilitating the bridge over Mahoning Creek. In addition, the Route 902/South Ninth Street bridge over Mahoning Creek is being replaced and the intersection of routes 902 and 443 will be realigned slightly to the east to make a “T” intersection.

The project began Feb. 15 and is anticipated to be complete in September 2024.

H & K Group Inc. of Skippack is the general contractor on the $21,118,085 project.

Traffic concerns raised

Last month, Mahoning Township supervisors discussed the possible addition of a streetlight at the intersection of Ashtown Drive and Route 443.

Supervisor Deb McGowan said it has become a safety issue at the intersection.

McGowan said the township would need to notify homeowners who would be affected.

Ultimately, supervisors voted to table the matter.

The Route 443/Blakeslee Boulevard reconstruction project has resulted in an uptick in traffic on Ashtown Drive.

In November, resident Colin Rehrig described how bad the situation is, and added there were at least five to six tractor-trailers going by every day.

Rehrig then asked to make Ashtown Drive local delivery only, no trucks.

Supervisors said that Lehighton Borough owns Ashtown bridge.

McGowan said at that time the township has to get rid of the excess traffic.

Rehrig also said that the speeding is terrible.

McGowan, of Ashtown Drive, stated her concerns to Lehighton Borough Council several weeks after the project to reconstruct a portion of Route 443/Blakeslee Boulevard began.

In March 2021, McGowan told Lehighton Borough Council she was worried that more tractor-trailers brought on by the road project will damage Ashtown bridge.

Additionally, she said the 443 project had resulted in more traffic and tractor-trailers being diverted over Ashtown bridge.