As the sun sets on 2023, lingering memories of traffic standstills during Jim Thorpe’s annual Fall Foliage Festival have become emblematic of the challenges faced by the tourism-centric borough.

The surge not only tested the resilience of local infrastructure, but also prompted the town’s leadership to take unprecedented measures to address the escalating traffic concerns.

The traffic saga reached its peak on Oct. 28, a day Police Chief Joe Schatz characterized as one of the worst traffic-wise in his 27-year law enforcement career in the borough.

The festival, a hallmark event for Jim Thorpe, drew record-breaking crowds, transforming the idyllic streets into a gridlocked maze. Borough officials, realizing the severity of the situation, took to social media to announce the deployment of all available police officers to manage the traffic gridlock.

“What’s been happening with the traffic that the uptick in tourism and the danger that it’s brought into the borough the last few years has obviously been eye opening,” Borough Council President Greg Strubinger said. “Our concern obviously is how we would get emergency vehicles where they need to go if something should happen.”

The influx of visitors, while boosting the local economy, has strained the town’s infrastructure and tested the patience of residents. The traffic chaos prompted town leaders and police to acknowledge that Jim Thorpe can no longer tackle this challenge alone, calling for a collaborative effort that involves stakeholders ranging from borough representatives to emergency services, residents, and the Reading and Northern Railroad, recognizing the impact of train arrivals on town congestion.

“What we have found is that when the roadway starts to become congested, everybody jumps on Google and Waze, and they each tell you a different way to go,” Police Chief Joe Schatz said. “So unlike years ago when you knew how everyone was coming into the borough, now all of the ways you can come into town are becoming congested. We’re going to get a big roundtable together with all of the players, including residents, coming to the table with ideas of what we should be doing and what we shouldn’t be doing so that we don’t see this situation again.”

The goal of the committee is not only to find immediate solutions, Schatz said, but also to create a road map for sustainable tourism management.

The staggering numbers tell a story of their own. More than 290,000 people passed through the visitor center near Josiah White Park by the end of October 2023, up by 60,000 from the previous year. While these numbers underscore Jim Thorpe’s appeal, they also, council members said, illuminate the need for a delicate balance between accommodating tourists and preserving the quality of life for residents.

Longtime residents, like Betty Lou McBride, reflected on the town’s journey over the years.

“I remember 40 years ago when we had one tourist here we were so excited and we used to chase them down the street to give them information for your business,” Betty Lou McBride, whose family has owned the Old Jail Museum for decades, said. “Agnes McCartney used to inflate the numbers. We would get 100 people in town and she would announce it was 750. Joe Boyle reported it that way and it looked good. We’ve worked very hard to get the town where it is now.”

As the year came to a close, the community is abuzz with suggestions and opinions on how to tackle the traffic conundrum.

Resident Amy Kubishin proposed more coordinated planning of events and the expansion of the downtown business district to distribute visitors across a larger area.

“The no-brainer solution is more parking,” Kubishin said. “However, we can’t put parking where there’s no space for it. I think what we can have is more coordination with planning of events, which is being covered. I’m really excited about that and more than anxious to participate.”

The hope, officials said, is that these measures will alleviate congestion while preserving the vibrant atmosphere that has turned Jim Thorpe into one of the top small towns in the United States.

Looking ahead to 2024, Schatz aims to kick-start roundtable discussions early in the year, involving all stakeholders in a collaborative effort to prevent a repeat of the October traffic crisis.

“We wanted to finish out 2023 and then start fresh in the new year,” Schatz said. “We have to come up with a solution because it’s very dangerous and I’ll be the first one to admit it’s dangerous.”